


The Darkness of Magick

by Caliadragon



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Black Magick, Canon-Typical Violence, Don't Have to Know Canon, Explicit Language, F/M, Gen, Good Peter, Inferred Polyandry, M/M, Minor Character Bashing, Now beta'd, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Surprise Characters - Freeform, Temporary Character Bashing, Violence, alternative universe, ooc, slash and het
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-12
Updated: 2014-07-12
Packaged: 2018-02-08 12:43:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1941588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caliadragon/pseuds/Caliadragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An attack leads to a day of shock and the return of something never imagined, along with an aftermath of violence and change for the Pack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Darkness of Magick

**_Title:_** The Darkness of Magick

 ** _Author:_** Caliadragon

 ** _Feedback:_** caliadragon@gmail.com or here.

 ** _Fandom:_** Teen Wolf

 ** _Disclaimer:_** I do not own Teen Wolf or its characters.

 ** _Warnings:_** **_AU_ ,** Language, Black Magick, Universe Fusion, Good Peter, OOC, Minor/Temporary Character Bashing, OC Character Deaths, Slash and Het, Violence, OC’s, Unbeta’d, Possible Polyandry.

 ** _AN:_** This is my first Teen Wolf fic that is not a small blurb or drabble.  It is also extremely AU even though it incorporates All 3 seasons.  What I know about the Teen Wolf fandom is **_strictly_** from a very few episodes watched, fandom, and the TW wiki.  Everyone is alive and some of the Alpha Pack are good guys and in the Pack and Jackson is still in town, while Danny, Kira, her parents, and Parrish are part of the Pack.  All of the wolves can shift into true wolves and magick is more intense and varied in this universe and among the Pack. This is basically a rewriting of how everyone met and how the Pack was created.   **I hate Rafe McCall and this story reflects that.**

I also have fluctuating feelings about Victoria.  In this she is not bashed, but she is also not alive.  I believe that she was short changed and everything I read about her and have seen on the web makes me believe that she would have been an extremely kick ass fighter for the light and would have helped save a lot of people had Jeff not killed her off in a truly horrific and vile way.  A way that turned her from someone to be respected to another Kate and Gerard.

 

If you cannot handle the fact that I do not write canon or that I like Peter and feel somewhat protective of Malia’s character, please do not read or respond with comments. While Malia is not exactly shown in a good like and is only referenced in the story, I do not bash her either.  I write for my own pleasure.  Don’t get me wrong I love feedback and enjoy the comments, but I have no time for negativity for the sake of negativity.  Thank you.

 

 **Beta:** The wonderful Jilly James beta'd this for me.  Any mistakes left are purely my own.

 

 ** _Pairings_** **:** Derek/Stiles, Kira/Scott, Allison/Isaac, Danny/Ethan, Jackson/Lydia,

Ennis/Zale (The Sheriff), Chris/Melissa, Surprise pairings

 

 ** _Archive:_** Anywhere with prior permission, AO3, WWoMB, TTH, Imaginings, anyone else please ask first.

 

 ** _Part:_** 1/?

 

 ** _Summary:_** An attack leads to a day of shock and the return of something never imagined, along with an aftermath of violence and change for the Pack.

 

 

Derek Hale looked up in irritation when he only smelled his friend and beta Scott McCall entering the clearing where the Pack had gathered for a meeting and training.  The fact that he was driving Stiles’ jeep, with no Stiles made Derek want to growl in frustration and suppress the hurt he was feeling at Stiles not being with Scott.  Derek had been clear that everyone in the Pack was to come today for training.

 

 

Stiles had told him that he wasn’t coming and then hung up on Derek’s declaration that he had better show up or Derek would go pick him up and bring him to the meeting by force.  Derek knew that Stiles had not been happy for the last month due to the strain caused by Laura’s attitude since she was brought back to life. He had been reluctant to have Pack meetings where she and Derek’s sister Cora would be in attendance.  Cora had always treated Stiles and Scott badly and never had a problem saying something hateful and cutting.

 

 

Now it looked like Derek was going to have to go with his threat and drag the younger man to the meeting, and Derek knew that would not go over well with Stiles.  The other members of the Pack were shocked when Scott climbed out of the jeep without Stiles and was leaking aggressive emotions.

 

 

“Where’s Stilinski?” Laura asked with narrowed eyes, she had been back a month so far and no one was still clear on how she had been brought back, though she constantly blamed Stiles since he was the one of the ones who found her and was also a spark, the most powerful brand of white magick user.  Which made her dislike of Stiles and her blaming him for being brought back from the dead confusing, and had the relationship she shared with the Pack, minus Cora, tense and in some cases hostile.

 

 

“He told all of you every time you called that he wouldn’t be here today,”  Scott snapped back, in no mood to deal with her bad attitude or anyone else's for that matter.  Not today with the memory of a loss so great it still broke his heart.

 

 

 

“Watch your tone.”  Cora ordered distinctly, her dark eyes snapping with anger at the tone he was using with her sister.

 

 

“Fuck you.”  Scott said just as distinctly, his claws showing clearly and his eyes beta amber.  He took a deep breath and forced his wolf under control, but it was enough to worry his Pack.

 

 

Erica actually fell out of her tipped back chair in stunned disbelief, her mouth falling open and her eyes widening in shock at her puppyish pack-mate’s unusual behavior.  Allison and Isaac shared a look of unease, worrying about how they were going to stop the riot about to start with Stiles not there to calm the Pack and get them to ignore Cora and Laura’s attitude.

 

 

Meanwhile Boyd blinked in resignation and began readying himself for the fight he had been waiting for between Cora and Scott, though he had thought it would be because of her snapping one to many times at Stiles, Derek, or Allison.  Jackson straightened up, staring at Scott like he had never seen him before.  Scott rarely swore and usually it was because one of them was bleeding to death or seriously injured, and he was always respectful of women.

 

 

Lydia was frowning, knowing something was going on that she should remember, while Danny was backing away from Cora and Laura along with the Twins.  Scott may have denied the Alpha in him to save Cora, but the two did not have a good relationship, though it was better than the one he shared with Laura.  The three young men were pretty sure that Cora and Scott were going to go to blows, something they never thought that Scott would allow to happen despite what others in the Pack thought.

 

 

Scott was a gentleman and always looked for an alternative to violence, especially where a woman was involved.  It was how the cursed Victoria had nearly killed him, and how Malia injured him badly when she tried to kill him for having Stiles’ attention.  Malia had fixated on the thought that Derek was hiding Scott’s relationship with Stiles to protect Scott from her.  Scott never raised his hand to Malia, even when she nearly gutted him, so for him to be willing to get into a physical altercation with Cora showed that something seriously was wrong with their friend.

 

 

Derek shared a look of worry with Peter.  Stiles was rebellious, but he never missed Pack meetings, even with the attitude he got from Laura and Cora, and Scott was polite to everyone, even the ones he didn’t like.  The fact that Stiles wasn’t there, and that Scott was acting aggressively instead of like the sweet boy he usually was, had to have a common link between them.

 

 

“You need to remember who I am and show respect.”  Laura said with a growl, her eyes flashing blue, when she came back from the dead her eyes were no longer Alpha red or Beta amber thanks to the trauma of her death and the emotional shock of leaving her brother alone in the world.

 

 

Scott sneered at her, his own eyes flashing gold once again, “A recently reanimated corpse that used to be an Alpha, yeah I remember that really well.  As for respect, you’ve done nothing to deserve it and I don’t treat bitches like you with respect.  You need to remember that I was born a human, was still named a true Alpha, and I gave that up to save Cora’s life because Stiles and I respect and love Derek and didn’t want him to lose another family member.

 

 

“We were both worried, but happy that you came back for him until you turned out to be just as big a bitch and as disrespectful of my Alpha, my best friend, Allison, and me just like Cora is.  If you had shown Stiles, Derek, Allison, and me the respect you think we owe you, you would have gotten it from us.  Instead you treat Stiles like he’s the devil, Derek like he’s an incompetent toddler, Allison like she’s shit on your shoe, and me like I’m barely sentient.  You only give sneers and vicious words to anyone who’s not Cora.”  Scott’s words stunned everyone, and Derek felt his chest tighten.

 

 

 

Derek looked at his Pack and saw pleasure and happiness at Scott’s defense of them.  Derek knew, he knew when Scott stopped his plan to force Derek to give Gerard the bite, that Scott honestly cared for him.  He knew when Stiles took the arrow that Allison aimed at Derek after her Mother’s death that Stiles cared for him.  Scott called them brothers and Stiles told him Derek loved him long before he found the ritual to save Cora and end the madness curse on Peter so that Derek could have his family back.

 

 

They gave their love and loyalty before they knew Stiles and Derek were mates, and before Derek made Scott his head beta.  They had even saved him from the Alphas. Actually they had saved the entire Pack from the Alphas, freeing the Twins and Ennis at the same time.

 

 

 The pair used the depth of their love and respect for each other to rebound the Darrach's spell onto her so that no more sacrifices had to be made and so Melissa, Chris, and Sheriff Zale Stilinski were safe without anyone having to die.  Derek just hadn’t expected to hear Scott say it out loud, and for the guilt that filled him when he realized that he had let Laura and Cora treat Scott, Allison, and Stiles so badly for the last month, not to mention their treatment of the rest of the Pack.

 

 

“If you hadn’t wanted me to be a bitch you shouldn’t have let your friend use magick to bring me back,”  Laura snarled, her eyes narrowed and claws sprouted.

 

 

“Seriously? You think Stiles would have wasted resurrection magick on you? If he was going to bring someone back from the dead it wouldn’t have been you, no matter how much he cares for Derek.  Despite what you think, other people have had tragedies in their lives.  Other people have lost the ones they love, and other people mourn.  Beyond the fact that Stiles refused to learn necromancy from Deaton and went so far as to punch him in the face for suggesting he learn it.”

 

 

“Stiles believes that the dead are free of the burdens of life, that all people who suffer undeserved in life or die violently are taken to a place of peace, light, and love.  Stiles believes that all people are blessed with joy, love, and acceptance into a greater place when they die.  He would never bring someone back from the dead.”

 

 

“The main reason he felt bad about burying Peter the way we did was because we didn’t realize he wasn’t truly dead and Stiles felt terrible about not giving Peter the peace he felt he deserved for surviving and having the memories of the fire.”  Scott spat the words out and they had the same impact as wolfsbane bullets.

 

 

Laura started to stand but Derek’s vicious growl froze her in place and she turned to look at her brother with wide eyes.  Derek’s eyes were red and he was glaring at her.  She sat back down with a flush, this was the first time Derek had lost his temper with her since she returned, though he had told her more than once to leave Stiles, Allison, and Scott alone.  It was hard to accept that Derek was now the Alpha instead of her, and that he wasn’t her broken little brother any longer.

 

 

Derek turned his angry eyes on Cora who ducked her head on instinct.  “You two are my family and I love you.  I’m happy you’re back, but I’m tired of you two going after Scott, Allison, and Stiles at the least provocation.”

 

 

“I’m also sick of you two treating the other members of this Pack like they don’t matter and that they are less than you because they weren’t born wolves or Hales. They have done nothing but be kind to you two and help me.  They are my Pack, Stiles is my second and Scott is my head beta, then Lydia is in control if Stiles, Scott, and I are unavailable.  Allison is a beloved member of the Pack and one of our defense teachers.”

 

 

Derek’s words had both women paling in shock, they had both thought that Laura being back meant that she would be his second and they still had trouble accepting that the Argents were welcome in his Pack.  Neither girl dared go after Chris since he was a seasoned hunter, but it didn’t stop them from making cutting remarks to Allison about her family and how they were all murderers.  Laura and Cora had never bothered to ask Derek or anyone else how the two Argents became Pack and the behavior that came from that failure had finally pushed Derek too far.

 

 

“Stilinski and Martin are not even a wolves and McCall has barely been a wolf for three years.  Laura should be your second!  None of them should be above us and Peter,” Cora wailed angrily, unable to believe that this was happening.

 

 

“No, Stiles and Lydia are stronger than any wolf I’ve ever met and twice as protective, and they are willing to do anything to protect the Pack.  Scott is honest and caring and willing to sacrifice his own life to save the Pack.  Laura isn’t my second because, as much as I love her, she was gone and I had to build a new Pack, that Pack started with Scott and Stiles.”

 

 

“Neither of you were here and Peter was insane, I could only count on Stiles, Lydia, and Scott.  Stiles is the one who came up with the new ways to train the Pack, he’s the one who helped Scott learn control, and Lydia was the one to find help when Stiles couldn’t give him all the guidance he needed when I was too busy struggling with grief to realize they needed my help.”

 

 

“Stiles is the one who helped save everyone in this Pack, minus Laura.  Beyond the fact that my wolf sees Stiles as Pack, it sees him as my equal and has since before I became Alpha.  Scott is and will always be my first beta despite the fact that Peter was actually the one to turn him.  My wolf sees him as my brother.”

 

 

“Lydia helped us defeat Kate and she saved and protected me both times I was deathly ill thanks to Kate and Gerard.  She’s the one who looked into how to protect us from possessions and from wolfsbane poisoning.  My wolf sees her as my sister and a protected member of the Pack.  All three are considered the senior members of our Pack by my wolf.”  Derek’s words had Cora and Laura looking at Derek in surprise.

 

 

“Whoa, what?” Laura asked stunned, her pain and jealousy flaring.  That Derek saw Stiles as an equal confused her.  Even their parents, who were born wolves and mates, didn’t have an equality between them.  Talia and Adam had loved each other, but Talia was always higher in the family than Adam and in their Pack, and Talia always made that clear to everyone.  There was also the fact that Derek’s wolf accepted two people who were not blood relations as high-ranking family rather than general Pack members.

 

 

Neither woman could understand how this could be happening.  Laura couldn’t believe that this was occurring, and that she had left Derek alone to face so much pain and loss that he had to turn to humans and a teenage bitten wolf to establish a senior Pack council.

 

 

Softly, Peter said, “Laura, I told you many a time that the relationship between your mother and your father wasn’t usual between mated Alpha wolves.  Mates are equal in all relationships, the only reason your father tolerated your mother’s treatment of him was because he loved her and all of you.  Talia was a good Alpha, but she wasn’t always the best mate.”

 

 

“It wasn’t until Gideon was born that she began to treat your father as an equal and sadly the fire happened soon after so she couldn’t show you and your siblings how wrong she had been for so long.  Derek was alone, you were dead, Cora was thought to be dead, and I was dead and branded a traitor to the Pack until I was brought back and then freed of the curse.

 

 

“Derek’s wolf chose the strongest and bravest it could find and keep so that he wasn’t alone and an Omega.  These people gave freely of their love and understanding.  You should be thankful to them instead of cruel, they saved Derek when he was at his most vulnerable.”  Despite the gentle tone,  they could all hear that he was telling the truth.

 

 

“So what… Stiles is Derek’s mate?” Cora asked confused, she had remembered how different their parents were after the youngest Hale was born.  She didn’t want to think about Derek being an Omega, despite the Alpha powers he had taken from Peter.  Every time she thought of how close Derek came to being an Omega, she felt broken and that made her angry and want to lash out at everyone around her.

 

 

“Yes, but we promised his dad we’d wait to cement the bond until Summer break.”  Derek said calmly, feeling guilty for how he had spoken to Stiles the night before.  Derek knew it was because he craved his mate with him at all times since he had to wait two more weeks before he could claim what was his, but that was no excuse for not listening to Stiles.

 

 

There was also the fact that, besides Laura and Cora, everyone was better behaved when Stiles was there for training.  Also Derek was unsettled by the return of Laura and the way that she constantly rejected his mate and Pack.  Derek had always thought that Laura would like Stiles and the others that he had claimed as his own.  Unfortunately, it was turning out that he was wrong about that.

 

 

“Why isn’t Stiles here today?” Lydia asked looking at Scott, watching as the other boy’s shoulders slumped and the anger bled out of him, leaving him dejected and in visible emotional pain.

 

 

“Today is the anniversary of Momma Claudia’s death and Stiles spends it alone with Dad.”   Scott told her quietly, he then turned hard eyes on Laura who was staring at Derek, wide eyed at the pained sound her brother made.  “If he was going to resurrect anyone it would have been his mother, not you.”

 

 

Laura flinched at that.

 

 

 

Scott then looked at Cora.  “You owe him your life, he’s the one that found the ritual in Cassandra’s books that would use my unawakened Alpha powers to save you.   Otherwise Derek would have had to do a ritual that could have killed him and would definitely have left him vulnerable to attacks that he survived as an Alpha.  Stiles is also the one who helped find the cure to Peter’s mania and dangerous obsession.”

 

 

Cora flushed and looked away from the beta’s cold gaze.

 

 

“I came today because Stiles asked me to and because of Derek.  If it weren’t for my loyalty to him and to the Pack I would have beaten the shit out of both of you by now and we both know that despite the fact that I was bitten that I am stronger than both of you.”

 

 

“Scott, I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have let things get so out of control and I shouldn’t have treated you and Stiles so badly.  Training is canceled for today, go be with Stiles.”   Derek said softly, his eyes reflecting his guilt and the memory of his own Mother’s loss.

 

 

Scott smiled gently.  “Not today, tomorrow we’ll be together, but today is just for the two of them.  Stiles and Dad never leave the house on the anniversary, except to go to Momma’s grave.  Tomorrow Mom and I’ll go over for breakfast and spend the day with them.  Stiles wanted me to ask you all if you would come over tomorrow, especially you, Derek.”

 

 

Derek walked down the stairs and pulled Scott into a tight hug causing the younger man to cling to his Alpha.  “I’ll be there, come on we’ll go grab a movie and hang out at the loft tonight and head over first thing in the morning.”  Derek then turned to look at Laura and Cora, his face tightening, he looked to Peter, who nodded grimly, sadly.  “Laura, Cora, I’ll give you two money for a hotel room if you don’t think you can keep the venom you’ve been spewing out of the group tonight.”

 

 

Cora surged to her feet angrily, her claws sprouting and her eyes going golden.  “Are you serious? You’re choosing those two over your own sisters?”

 

 

“Oh shut the fuck up!” Erica snapped, stomping over to Cora and punching her in the face.

 

 

Cora stumbled back in stunned silence and she wasn’t the only one to look at Erica in surprise. Erica was actually the last one anyone expected to punch one of the other girls.  Like Scott, she was extremely loyal to Derek and Stiles, and both had asked her not to do anything to Cora, and then later to Laura.

 

 

Erica sneered, “You may be Derek’s sister, but Allison, Stiles, and Scott aren’t the only ones you treat like shit.  Until you nearly died, you treated Derek like he was a bug on your shoe half the time.  You think because you were born a wolf that you are better than the rest of us.”

 

 

“Well I got news for you, bitch, you weren’t here.  Laura at least has a reason to be pissed, you didn’t even bother to try to find out if there were any Hales left.  You act like Derek abandoned you when you were the one to abandon him.  Yeah you were a kid, but so was Derek.  Laura was at least there for him and I can understand why she’s pissed, but you... you have no right to be pissed at anyone but Kate and Gerard Argent, and they're both dead thanks to Derek, Stiles, Lydia, Scott, and Peter.”

 

 

“Derek had an affair with Kate!” Cora screamed back, moving to hit Erica, who waved her on mockingly with a fierce grin on her face.

 

 

Eyes full of sadness, Allison softly interjected, “If you knew who she was why didn’t you say anything? Derek wasn’t much older than you, there is no way he could have hidden who he was involved with.  So how is he to blame when no one stepped up to tell him that she was too dangerous to be involved with? Especially since Derek was already emotionally compromised before he met Kate.”  When Ennis was exposed as one of the Alpha’s that had come to cause trouble in Beacon Hills, Derek had told them all about Paige and how she died. 

 

 

 

“Shut up, Argent, it wasn’t your family they destroyed,”  Laura snapped in disgust that Derek allowed the girl and her father into the Pack.  How dare she try to say anything about the fire when it was her own family that caused it?

 

 

Though there was a part of Laura that agreed that the fire was her fault and the fault of the senior members of their Pack.  The only one who protested Derek’s involvement with Kate was Peter and he was ignored.  It was one of the reasons that she didn’t hold her death against Peter.  The truth was that Laura had the same guilt and self-hatred that plagued both her brother and her uncle.

 

 

“Actually, my dear niece, that is exactly what they did to her.  Gerard cursed Alli’s mother Victoria so that she would do his bidding and changed her from a teacher and healer to a vicious killer.  This meant that Victoria went after Scott and ended up bitten, he hen made sure that Victoria and Chris knew that Gerard would torture her to death if she didn’t commit suicide.”

 

 

“He emotionally manipulated and abused Allison and nearly murdered her father when he helped Stiles, Erica, and Boyd escape from the basement where Gerard was holding them captive and torturing all three.  She may not have lost as many as we did, but her family was just as devastated as ours,”  Peter said coolly. He too had reached his breaking point with the two women lashing out at members of his Pack.  Especially as it was those members who saved all of them.  Peter could understand why the two young women would hate him, but no one else in the Pack deserved their treatment, especially not the four that seemed to get the worst of their vitriol.

 

 

Laura opened her mouth in shock, her eyes going to a devastated Allison, when a crackle of electricity caught her attention.  Laura stood, moving on instinct to protect Allison and Lydia, much to the surprise of both girls.  It said more about how Laura really felt about her new Pack than the constant verbal attacks did.

 

 

Isaac and Jackson moved to follow her actions, while the Twins and Boyd had positioned themselves in front of Danny.  Peter and Scott quickly moved so that they were flanking Derek.   Erica yanked Cora back so that they were standing on either side of Laura instead of Cora standing in front of Laura, helping to guard Allison and Lydia.

 

 

“That’s the same light that happened before Laura was brought back,”   Isaac said into the rushing wind, he had been with Stiles when they had found Laura.

 

 

Derek made a wounded sound when the rest of his family appeared in the clearing, his mother and father at the lead.  Derek sucked in a breath when he realized that Talia wasn’t an Alpha.  Derek hadn’t realized he was howling until his phone suddenly started ringing and Scott had pulled him close.

 

 

Derek stared at his mother as Peter answered Derek’s phone, already knowing who was on the line.  Talia Hale had no idea what was happening, but she knew her son needed her.  She handed her youngest child to her mate and walked over to Derek, pulling him into her arms and feeling the power of the Alpha in him.  He keened at her touch and shook like the world was falling apart for him and since she could remember dying in a fire with her Pack around her it probably was.

 

 

They all tensed as people came pouring out of the trees.  “Well I honestly hadn’t thought this would work on such a large scale, but I am thrilled to see I will have so many powerful sacrifices instead of the few that I had planned for,”  a pale man with dark hair and glowing black eyes said as he calmly walked through the group of men and women who stood still, pulsing with darkness.  He had a cruel smirk on his face and despite his beauty, the air of darkness around him repulsed all in the Hale Pack.  Talia sniffed the air, her eyes going wolf blue. Those newly returned also shifted, their eyes the same electric blue as Talia, Peter, and Laura’s.

 

 

“Dark Necromancers, powerful ones,” she said quietly, pulling back to take an easy stance at Derek’s side.  She was proud to see that though her son reeked of agony, he stepped up to do his duty as Alpha to protect and lead his Pack.  Quietly ordering the younger children up and close to the Pack that was returned.  She was impressed by the fact that his made Pack had already moved to stand at his side, guarding the returned.

 

 

“Honestly, you pulled back the dead with no idea if it would work, and now you think we’re just going to let you take our Pack so you can sacrifice them?” Lydia asked with scorn, her hands beginning to crackle with the magick of her banshee and earth magick heritage.

 

 

The leader raised a dark eyebrow in sneering amusement and then stumbled back, his pale skin going even whiter with shock when Stiles suddenly appeared in the clearing in front of the burnt out shell of the Hale house.  He was already shooting magick at the Necromancers.  This had Lydia, Danny, and Allison rushing forward to be at his side as they had practiced so many times, and shooting all of the Necromancers with magick and weapons.  None of their werewolf pack-mates could touch the weapons, as they were infused with wolfsbane and the three forms of offensive magick that Danny, Stiles, and Lydia practiced. Additionally, they were treated with the magick that their teacher Cassandra possessed and the Druid magick of Alan Deaton.

 

 

The leader looked at them in shock and rage, he raised a hand to lash out, but Stiles calmly shot him between the eyes with an arrow from his crossbow.  In minutes the invading force was down and dead with no injuries on the side of the Hale Pack.  Stiles and the others normally would have tried to negotiate with the coven, but the last time Dark Necromancers came to Beacon Hills, they nearly killed Sherriff Zale and Chris. No one was going to let that happen again.

 

 

The wolves had never had a chance or a need to fight as it had happened so quickly.  While not wolves, the four trained with their Pack, and because of that, they learned to move the human equivalent of wolf quick, something the invading dark coven had not prepared to face.  The newly returned were looking at the humans and the banshee in stunned silence, while their Pack-mates were pouting about not getting to fight.  Stiles carefully handed his crossbow to Lydia, then turned and stumbled to Derek, who quickly stepped away from his mother and pulled his mate close.

 

 

“You’re not supposed to teleport yet,”  Derek told him gruffly, his eyes closing in relief at having his mate with him. He was careful not to hurt Stiles, but he knew that the hug was tighter than it probably should be.   Though he could tell from the strength of Stiles’ arms that he didn’t care.

 

 

“Hush, Sourwolf, my mate and my Pack were in danger.  There is no way I was going to take the chance that you’d all be okay if I took the time to come in my Dad’s truck.”  Stiles paused at this, hating the fact that Derek and the others could have died without him.  He also took the time to look to his side and take in the sight of the returned Hales.

 

 

It reminded him of what his father had set into motion before Stiles had to teleport to protect the Pack.  “Dad was listening to the call and heard your family was returned like Laura, so he’s calling Mom, Agent McCall, and Chris and they're all coming here.  Once we figure out what is going on, we’ll call the others and get them here to help us move everyone to somewhere safer.

 

 

“I figure between my Dad, Agent McCall, and mine and Danny’s hacking skills, we can hide the fact that they have all been dead for years,”  Stiles said tiredly, resting his face against Derek’s neck.

 

 

Derek just hugged Stiles close and ran a soothing hand down his unsettled mate’s back.

 

 

“You guys have to stop nearly dying, it’s freaking me out.”  Stiles said into Derek’s throat, causing Derek to stroke his hand down Stiles’ back once again.  The others in the Pack huffed at him, Stiles was one to talk.

 

 

“I’m sorry, Stiles, for not asking what today was and why you didn’t want to be here.”   Derek said softly, his voice heavy with regret.

 

 

Stiles made a small sound and lifted his head, kissing Derek gently to let the Alpha know that he was forgiven.  “I’m sorry too.  I should have told you instead of being an asshole and hanging up on you, I just hate talking about it,.”  Stiles said when they pulled apart.  “Go to your family, Sourwolf, you have them back.”

 

 

“I think Derek is where he needs to be,” an older man who looked a lot like Derek said quietly.  He was holding a beautiful toddler in his arms, and Stiles made a soft sound when he realized that he was looking at Derek’s father and baby brother. 

 

 

Stiles had known that there were young children in the house, of course he had known, but seeing Derek’s brother, his nieces and nephews, and his young cousins standing there broke Stiles’ heart.  Everyone in town thought that only 10 people died in the fire, but in reality almost 25 people had died, and the majority were under the age of 18.

 

 

Some of the Hales had come in from out of state for the family reunion and they had brought their children with them, None of the authorities in Beacon Hills had been informed about the full number of dead. At least, not until after Kate was declared a serial killer when she came back to Beacon Hills, and was killed by Peter and a panicking Stiles.

 

 

Stiles hadn’t wanted to help Peter, but it was a choice between one dangerously crazy person or another.  Stiles had already been badly wounded by Kate, who had tortured Stiles to try to get information on where he and Scott had taken Derek, not knowing that they had taken him to Lydia to protect while he healed from the wounds that Kate gave him.  Stiles had turned to a captured Peter because he had no choice, it was trust in the crazed and grieving wolf who wanted to give him the bite, or trust in being saved at the last minute from the sociopath who enjoyed burning innocent people and children to death.

 

 

In reality, it had been no true choice to turn to Peter help him kill Kate so that they would both be saved.  It was only later, when Peter had started to stalk him and become even more violent with anyone he perceived as a threat to Stiles’ place in the Pack that he was building, that Stiles and Scott  helped Lydia and Derek kill Peter.  The fact that he nearly killed Lydia and threatened to kill their Dad is what made the boys  willing to go after Peter.

 

 

If Stiles had known then what he knew now, he probably would have forced Derek to cut Peter in half, despite the older man’s protests, when Stiles and Lydia mentioned it.  Though there was a small part of him that was relieved that Peter survived, since he had helped them defeat the Alphas and saved the Pack from Deucalion and Julia Baccari, the Darach that the Alphas had created.

 

 

Derek and Peter had only told the Pack the true level of what was lost to the fire after Peter’s mania was undone.  Peter had cried for the first time since the fire as he spoke of his lost mate and children, of his nieces and nephews and brothers and sisters.  Of his parents.

 

 

Zale had been openly horrified and had regretted that he hadn’t been able to make Kate and Gerard pay for the full level of devastation that they had caused.   Zale had admitted that had he known when Scott and Derek killed Gerard he would have made the two young men give Gerard over to him for justice.  Zale also admitted that he knew that it wouldn’t have solved anything and would probably of made things worse if Gerard had lived.

 

 

He made it clear that he especially hated that his son had been kidnapped and tortured by both Kate and Gerard, and Scott, who he saw as a son, had been nearly killed by Kate, Victoria, and Gerard.  He also hated that Derek had suffered so much because of Kate and Gerard, and that the young Pack that Derek was creating had had kids being kidnapped, tortured, and in Jackson’s case, temporarily killed.  Not to mention the horror that Peter had lived with and how his will had been stripped from him when he was at his most vulnerable.

 

 

When Gerard was torturing Stiles, Erica, and Boyd, he had confessed that he had needed to get rid of Laura to gain the Alpha powers he felt would save him from the cancer killing him.  So Gerard had Kate come to Beacon Hills in secret and place a spell of mania and violence on Peter.  When Kate and Peter were killed, and Gerard was no closer to getting the Alpha powers, he had Victoria cursed to go after a member of Derek’s Pack, Scott.  Together they had tortured the  principal of the high school, making the man leave the school, and then the head of the Board of Education so that Gerard would be hired as the principal.

 

 

After Victoria had tried to kill Scott and been bitten, Gerard had forced Victoria to commit suicide, despite Chris’ desperate attempts to save his wife.  Chris had thought he had talked her into waiting, and  had headed out to see if Scott could get her to Derek.  Scott had agreed, but when Chris got home it was already too late, Victoria had killed herself in Allison’s room.

 

 

Gerard had nearly gotten Allison on his side, but when Stiles stepped between her and Derek, and took the wolfsbane infused arrow, she had been shocked out of her grief enough that they could explain what really happened with her mother.  Unfortunately, her defection had enraged Gerard and he had used his followers to kill Jackson and then kidnap Stiles, Erica, and Boyd. Thankfully, in the end, Gerard was the one to die and they were able to save the Pack members from his chamber of horrors.

 

 

Derek’s mind was pinging from one thought to another. He went from remembering the first dark days of the Pack, to thinking that it was a good thing that he and Laura had had to take care of the property and belongings of the Pack that had been consumed by the fire.  Derek  had a warehouse full of his family's belongings, both from things that had survived the fire and from the families’ homes.  He and Laura had simply gathered everything and put it away, unable to face throwing away their family’s things or going through them.  The stuff from the condo that he had shared with Laura in New York was there as well.

 

 

When it became obvious to Derek that he couldn’t leave Scott, Lydia, and Stiles behind, he had hired someone to pack up their things and deliver them to the warehouse in Beacon Hills.  Perhaps it said everything that Laura had used the warehouse that their grandfather had used as a shop for his sculptures instead of putting it all in a storage facility in New York where it would have been closer.  The truth was that Laura had always planned to come back to Beacon Hills and bring Derek with her.  She had thought it would be safe after a time thanks to the fire being ruled an accident.

 

 

Peter, Laura, and Cora had already moved forward to embrace their returned family members, but Derek was afraid.   He wasn’t sure they wouldn’t reject him or even blame him for the fire.

 

 

Talia eased this fear by walking to her son once again and pulling him into a hug.  “I’m sorry, Derek.  I should have protected you and the Pack from Kate.  I should have stopped things before it got to the point of our deaths.”

 

 

Derek made a sound that could only be described as agony and hugged his mother tightly, her sincerity easing the self-hatred he carried since the fire.  One by one, members of the Pack came up to embrace Derek, and the older members took the time to apologize for not doing their part to protect Derek from Kate.  They had all known that Derek was vulnerable from Paige’s murder at Ennis’s hands.  They knew that Peter had been adamant that someone separate the two, but they all believed she wasn’t like her father since she was involved with Derek.  They had all been fatally wrong, and their children and Peter had suffered for it.

 

 

Each hug, each apology, was for Derek an act of rebirth and relief.  He knew that he would never truly heal from the fire.  Like Laura and Peter, his scars and experiences born from the death of their Pack would always be deep, even with the return of their family.  Even Cora held the remains of agony and loss.  However, for Derek it had been so deep a wound that he had begun to think death and insanity a true gift for him.  Until the day he met Stiles and Scott, and later Lydia, and the deepening friendships they forged after they all survived Kate’s final attack and the killing of both Kate and Peter.

 

 

** ~@~@~Flashback~@~@~ **

 

 

The two boys and Lydia refused to let Derek walk away from them, especially Stiles.  Stiles demanded answers to his questions on how to help and protect Lydia and Scott.  They refused to allow Derek to live in the shell of his family home.  Once the truth was clear to them how he was living, they told Scott and Stiles’ Mom and Dad that Derek was innocent and then they told him where he was living.

 

 

To none of the teens’ surprise, the boys’ parents came to the Hale house and the two adults brought boxes and calmly ordered Scott, Lydia, and Stiles to help them pack Derek’s belongings.  Once everything was packed, Zale had then taken Derek’s car keys and dragged the boy to his car, where he pushed the younger man into the passenger seat and proceeded to drive them to the Stilinski home where Derek’s belongings were moved into the guest room.

 

 

Once they had unpacked his belongings, they had pushed him gently out of the room and into the bathroom to clean up.  After he was finished, Scott had hugged him and had latched onto his wrist and babbled to Derek as he dragged him into the kitchen. Stiles had then proceeded to cook them what seem to be meal for fifteen rather than six.  Though, in truth, with Scott and Derek’s need for a high calorie foods, the meal was what all six needed.

 

 

When Derek saw what was on the table already and what was still being worked on, he was surprised.  He had seen Stiles eat, especially curly fries, so he was surprised by the fact by that the food was healthy, and it all smelled delicious.

 

 

“You eat curly fries,”  Derek said in confusion over the uber-healthy meal.  Lydia had been eyeing it in confusion as well, she too had seen how Stiles ate.

 

 

 

Zale, Scott, and Melissa all laughed, as Melissa affectionately replied, “Zale is on a special heart healthy diet, which means we are all on the same diet.  Stiles’ curly fries that he eats outside of school only come from Janie Cook’s restaurant, and it’s one of the few allowed fast food restaurants because the potatoes are blanched after they’ve been peeled and washed to remove a lot of the starch.  They are then dried and tossed with olive oil and seasoned with a special seasoning, which is made of up healthy herbs and absolutely no salt.  Even her condiments are made with healthy ingredients and still taste fantastic.”

 

 

“Stiles pretty much rules the diets of everyone in the room and Scott has spies to make sure that Melissa and I stay on the diet and don't overwork ourselves.”  Zale said with a smirk for the two boys who grinned unrelentingly.

 

 

“Basically what this tale of my kids’ brilliance is to prepare you for the truth that now that they have decided that we are keeping you, they’re, especially Stiles, going to take complete and utter control over your life and make sure you have a place to live, a place to be safe, and a healthy diet,” Zane told him with gentle amusement and pure pride in both of the boys he considered his sons.  

 

 

Not long after Derek turned Isaac, Scott had told Isaac cheerfully that their Mom had received permission for Derek to act as Isaac’s foster father until the  case review to determine if Isaac’s adoption would be approved.  Isaac had started to protest, but Stiles had pressed against him and reminded him he was Pack and Pack protected and saved one another from the threat of death and from loneliness.  Derek needed him as much as he needed Derek.  Once Peter was healthy again and ready to live on his own, Stiles had showed Peter the apartment that he had picked out for him and how Peter only needed to go sign the lease. 

 

 

They had found Derek a loft with all of the amenities and running water so that both men would have their own rooms, and so that Isaac would be safe from his father who was out on bail from child abuse charges.  Lydia had made sure to use her family's name to get the man charged and convicted quickly.  Sadly the loft was in the middle of repairs thanks to Kali trying to redo the walls by throwing Derek, Boyd, and Isaac through them.

 

 

Stiles’ new magick had been terrifying when he started to kill her with it.  The only thing that saved her was the fact that Derek wanted her alive to find out who was in the Alpha Pack and how many more had been forced to join and were under mind control.  They also wanted to know the identity of the Darach since there were clues that they knew who the dark Druid was and how to stop her.  That she turned out to be a teacher at the school, and someone who had hit on Derek several times, had not surprised many.  It seemed that any older woman who wanted to date Derek turned out to be a sociopath.The Necromancers added to that belief the last time a group had come through Beacon Hills.

 

 

The next project once the Alphas and the Darach were defeated or released from mind control, was getting Derek custody of Boyd.  His mother wanted nothing to do with him. Stiles, Lydia, and Scott decided that he needed to move in with Stiles and his Dad until Derek could find a new place and get the loft repairs finished.  After that, they campaigned for Erica’s parents to be brought in on the secret.  Sadly that had backfired on the Pack, Stiles and Erica in particular.

 

 

Both Erica and Stiles, who had been with her when she started to tell her parents the truth, had been stunned when her normally supportive parents had turned vicious.  Stiles still had a scar on his chest where Erica’s mother tried to stab him for trying to protect Erica from her mother.  By the time that Erica’s parents stopped calling them monsters and demons, Stiles was able to cast the spell that Cassandra had created for them.  Stiles hadn’t wanted to use it, but the family had actually been talking about turning Erica over to the Hunters.

 

 

The spell took away the memory of how Erica was cured, but it did have them remembering that it was a fight over Erica taking a controversial treatment, and then her parents threw her out for being involved with Boyd and for admitting she was bisexual.  Something Erica assured them she now believed that they would do on their own if she had told them the truth.  The Reyes had not taken to Erica breaking the mold that they had built for her, or in her going against their extreme religious beliefs.

 

 

Once again the Pack stepped in.  Zale got papers for Derek to adopt her and she lived with Melissa and Scott during the time it took to build the new den for the Pack.   Since Isaac, Boyd, and Derek were living with Stiles and Zale, it made no difference to Zale who had already adopted all of the Pack as his own.

 

 

Jackson ended up living with Danny after he died of the aconite poisoning since he refused to go live overseas after being killed by Gerard.  He and his parents had a huge argument over the decision and they had kicked him out after calling him a failure.  He was now emancipated and living in a house near Lydia since his inheritance from both his maternal and paternal grandparents became his upon his emancipation.

 

 

The only ones in the Pack who had not lost their parents to the truth were Danny, Scott, Lydia, Stiles, and Allison.  Of the five, only Danny and Lydia’s parents had not joined the Pack, though Lydia had told them that her older sister Alisha was thinking of joining the Pack now that she was back in town and knew what was going on. Because of that their mother Rebecca was thinking of joining as well.  

 

 

Allison and Chris had been worried at first by their welcome, but they had their place at the table after they had sacrificed so much to save Derek, Scott, Stiles, Erica, and Boyd. From that moment on they had been Pack.  Even when Scott and Allison had broken up from their first romance with each other, the relationships they forged within the Pack held strong.

 

 

Months went by, they helped Cora escape from the Alphas, though she was always invited to eat or go shopping with them, she had always refused.  It had just gotten worse after Laura had returned from the dead.  Thankfully, Melissa had latched onto Allison, Lydia and Erica immediately and took them shopping and had girls’ days with them along with Rebecca and Alisha.

 

 

When Kira and her parents joined the Pack the tradition remained the same and both Kira and Noshiko were embraced by the rest of the females in their Pack.   Allison and Kira remained friends even after Kira and Scott began to date.

 

 

Danny had come after to Yukimura family had come to town and Jackson was killed and brought back by Lydia's love.  Danny had felt her powers working as he knelt by Jackson, even though no one had realized that it was her banshee and earth magick heritage that was working to save Jackson.  Danny had demanded answers and had insisted on joining the Pack to be with Lydia and Jackson.  No one had argued, Derek included.  Then when they were attacked by the Alphas, Stiles, Zale, Danny, and Lydia were exposed as having magick so a powerful witch was brought into teach them. Deaton feared he could not teach them what they wanted to learn since none of the four trusted him.

 

 

**_ ~@~End Flashback~@~ _ **

 

 

Stiles squeezed his wrist and brought Derek back to the present, ending the rambling thoughts.  When Derek had hugged the last member of his Pack, his Grandfather Decon,he stepped back and pressed into Stiles’ side.

 

 

Stiles was holding his brother Gideon, who had latched onto Stiles and wouldn’t let go.  Stiles didn’t seem to mind and he gave Derek a grin, one that was a shadow of his normal bright smile, but sincere just the same, and leaned against him.  “Your little brother is a fatal level of cute.  Look at these dimples.”

 

 

Scott and Derek laughed softly as Gideon hummed and scent marked Stiles, the little boy liked this person who smelled like Pack and Derek.

 

 

“So when Dad gets here, we’ll figure out the way to tell the story and then we’ll figure out where to put everyone for the night.  Your loft is too small and still under construction so it’s too dangerous for the adults let alone the kids and we’ll need to get food and supplies for everyone.  You said that no one in town knew about the younger members of the Pack until the fire itself?” Stiles babbled out as he let Gideon play with the protection rune Stiles wore around his neck.  Derek had given it to him after a mentally ill Malia Tate had tried to get him possessed by the spirit entombed in the Nemeton.

 

 

Derek nodded numbly, still trying to process that he was standing in front of his family as the Alpha and that they were even alive.  He was pulled back to the present once again by Stiles, who was, as always, grounding Derek even through emotional upheaval.

 

 

“Okay that’s good.  This way we won’t have to explain why the kids haven’t aged in eight years.  No one will ask questions about the rest of you since it’s obvious your family ages well.  Dad and Agent McCall will deal with the insurance companies and the authorities and you’ll need to contact your business manager so that he can make preparations to return the life insurance money.  It helps that none of you touched the money from the policies.”  Stiles paused and looked around at all the returned dead.

 

 

After a moment Stiles continued, “That will go a long way towards convincing people that your family went into hiding and that you, Laura, and Cora were all presumed dead. By the time the truth came out you were back in Beacon Hills.  We’ll make it out to seem that Laura went back into hiding thanks to the crazy Argents, with the help of my Dad and Chris, and that you stayed because you had taken custody of Isaac and were being too closely monitored by the Kate and Gerard’s thugs and CPS.

 

 

“We’ll also add that Cora didn’t go to them when she came back to town once she escaped the people who were holding her hostage all of this time, because your family was planning on coming out of hiding now that the threat against them was dealt with. But that you lost everything after the last person working with Kate found out where you were and tried to burn you all out again, costing you everything once again.”  Stiles’ rushed words had everyone that didn’t know him staring at him in surprise.

 

 

The made Hale Pack also noticed once again that Stiles never referred to Scott’s father as anything but Agent McCall, he didn’t even call him by his first name as he did with the other adults they had in the Pack.  They all figured it had something to do with the way that Scott barely controlled his rage around the elder McCall and how he only allowed people to refer to Zale as his Dad.  This further confused people when both Scott and Stiles referred to both Melissa and Claudia as their Mothers.

 

 

Danny was already back on the porch and pulling out his laptop.  “As soon as Agent McCall gets here I can get started putting the information into the FBI and then the Marshall services databases.”

 

 

Stiles nodded his agreement. “Good, that’s good.  Erica, you, Lydia, and Allison take Jackson, Isaac, Ethan, and Aiden and go to the mall and to the wholesale store and load up on supplies.  Take my jeep, the Twins’ truck, and Allison’s car with you as well.  We’ll need at least a couple of weeks worth of clothes for everyone, and whatever it is that babies need.  Lydia get everyone's sizes, you’ll remember them.  Derek give them your Amex card, the stores are used to the girls using your credit card for mass shopping so they won’t have any problems,”  Stiles ordered, and the group nodded again.

 

 

The Hales were all staring at Stiles and Derek in confusion. “Shouldn’t Derek be giving the orders?” Derek’s older brother Dominic asked confused.  Dominic had the same good looks as the rest of the family, but looked more like his little brothers and his father than their mother.  He was dressed as he had been the day he died.  In comfortable jeans and a sleeveless black t-shirt, with a leather band around his left wrist and a platinum ring on his pointer finger.  He was also wearing a necklace with a wolf charm on it.  He had the same casual air of power and sexiness that all of the Hales seemed to possess, he also had a slight smile on his face.

 

 

Stiles was pretty sure he was going to get along with Derek’s older brother.  He flashed Dominic a charming and mischievous smile, causing Dominic to flush in pleasure at the kindness and acceptance he saw in the younger man’s eyes.  It made him happy to see that his little brother had gained a truly accepting, mischievous, and kind mate.  “I’m his mate and he’s a little overwhelmed at the moment.  When he has his feet back under him he’ll go back to telling everyone what to do and reminding us that he’s the Alpha with a capital A and a smug swagger.”

 

 

Derek huffed when his made and natal Pack all laughed at Stiles’ words.  “You never do what I tell you.”

 

 

“I do too... sometimes,”  Stiles protested, adding the last bit at the incredulous looks of the made Hale Pack along with Peter, Cora, and Laura.  The two young women may have only been part of this new Pack for a little while, but they had seen that Stiles pretty much did what he wanted and Derek usually ended up following along, complaining and yanking Stiles back out of danger if necessary.

 

 

Talia’s mother Elena started laughing at the look of disbelief on her grandson’s face and the smirk on his mate’s and the affection on the faces of the young wolves that her grandson had made and brought into their Pack.  The look of amusement and disbelief on Peter’s face added to her amusement.

 

 

“You’ve done good for yourself, my boy, a smart, capable mate and a Pack that holds affection for you and trust in you,”  Elena said with affection and pride, kissing Derek on the cheek.

 

 

“Thank you Grandmother,”  Derek said with a slight smile, his heart lightening at her obvious approval of Stiles and the Pack and how he was doing as an Alpha.  He had never received training on how to control the urges being an Alpha would give him, or how to handle the extreme aggression that would come with it.  It was why he was forever grateful that Stiles, Scott, and Lydia had pulled him back from the edge when he took the Alpha powers from Peter.

 

 

It was also why he was relieved when Ennis was freed from Deucalion’s control and joined the Pack, giving up his Alpha powers to do so, while stepping up to help Derek learn how to be a proper Alpha.  The others had also helped to remind him that the violence and the rage in him was not the only side to being an Alpha.  There was also the strength of Pack, the loyalty, of knowing you were not alone, and the love that came from the bonds of each member.  Zale and Melissa had given him the stability of parental figures and helped ease some of the void losing his parents and his grandparents had caused.

 

 

Derek knew that having his family returned to life would not interfere with the relationships he had forged with the Pack he had created.  His parents and grandparents would support the bonds he had created, and embrace the people he claimed as his own.

 

 

It was the way of the Hale Pack, it was why many in the Pack had come to take the Hale name, even if they were not born Hales.  His sister Carol’s mate Alexander, his Aunt Louise, his Grandfather, his Father, and Aunt Rena had all take the Hale name when they mated into the Pack or followed other members of the family.  It was also why Laura and Cora’s rejection of his mate and Pack had hurt Derek so deeply.

 

 

People in town had accepted it as a Hale quirk, just like not seeing any of the Hale children until they were old enough to go to middle school and sometimes not until they were old enough to go to high school.  Stiles had already agreed to take the Hale name when they mated, but Derek was thinking that Stiles should keep his name since he and Zale were the last of the Stilinski line.

 

 

Now that his family had returned, Derek was even more determined to preserve Stiles’ family name.  Derek planned on talking to his parents, both his natal and the ones who had adopted him, and his grandparents to see if they could help him figure out how to talk Stiles into keeping his name. Maybe even having Derek take his name after they mated and married.  Derek was sure that Zale and Melissa would have a way to help with Derek’s plan, and he knew that his Mother and Father would help Derek with planning the mating ceremony as was befitting an Alpha of the Hale Pack.  For now though, Derek had to concentrate on making it through the day and protecting his returned family.

 

 

Derek and the other wolves all turned to look at the drive as they heard the approaching vehicles.  As soon as they were in sight, all of the humans turned to look at the three vehicles that pulled into the clearing where the rest of the Pack’s cars were parked.  Melissa and Chris were in Chris’ SUV, while Rafe McCall got out of his sedan, and Zale climbed out of his truck.  All four were looking at the gathered Hale family in disbelief before making their way over.

 

 

Chris, Melissa, and Zale were given a path to go stand by where their children stood, though for Chris many were reluctant to let him pass.  They only did so because Melissa was holding his hand and all of Derek’s betas and his mate greeted Chris with the same happiness and relief as they had Zale and Melissa.

 

 

None of the Pack Derek made did more that politely acknowledge Rafe McCall. Because of this, he was left on the fringes of the group, to his disgust and jealous rage.  Rafe knew it was Stiles’ fault that neither his son or his son’s friends would accept him, and that it was Zale’s fault that Melissa would not agree to come back to Rafe.

 

 

When Chris reached Derek, Gideon, and Stiles, he had tensed due to several members of the Hale Pack beginning to growl in warning.  Derek calmly reached over and pulled Chris to stand at his and Stiles’ side. Stiles reached out and placed a hand on Chris’ arm to show his support of the older man as well.  Scott had actually pressed against Chris’ free side while pulling Melissa against him.

 

 

Zale patted Chris on the arm and leaned against his son, looking down at the bright, sweet child that Stiles was holding.  It brought up a memory of Stiles when he was Gideon’s age and he wondered if the little boy was a Spark as well as being a baby werewolf.  Zale was brought out of his musings about Gideon when Derek began to speak, but he resolved to find out.  If it was true then the little boy needed to be trained, and from what Cassandra had told him, they needed to start soon or the power would manifest in ways that were negative to good health and an ability to keep attention on a subject.

 

 

“Chris Argent is Pack, just like his daughter Allison.  He’s saved us, even going against his own family.  He treats this Pack with respect and was the one who gave Peter the information he needed to find and stop Kate from killing me and my mate. He’s the one who helped free my betas and my mate from his father. He saved us from his wife when she was driven under a curse by Gerard to kill Scott and help him destroy the lives of innocents to further Gerard’s plans.”

 

 

“He did this even knowing that it would end in all three of them dying.  He sacrificed everything for his daughter and for this Pack.  Chris is a good man and an honorable hunter, he is not like Kate or Gerard, he keeps the Code and has run off hunters who came here to kill us.  He gave his own blood to help fight the Alphas and the Darach.  I trust him with my Pack and my mate in a way I only ever thought to be able to trust in all of you, in the family I created with Stiles and my new Pack.

 

 

“Chris did all of this before he joined the Pack and swore loyalty to me and to Stiles as his Alphas.”  Derek’s softly spoken words had the rest of the returned Pack quieting in shock and relief.

 

 

Derek watched proudly as his Father actually held out a hand to Chris, who took it in surprise, and shook it in welcome.  Talia also reached out to Chris, clasping his hand in thanks for all that he did to protect her son and his claimed family.

 

 

None of the returned Hales failed to notice that when Derek introduced the others, that Rafe McCall was not introduced as either Pack like everyone else, nor was he even introduced as a friend of the Pack.  They were thankful that they had kept him from getting closer to the Alpha couple and to Gideon and the other children in the Pack.  This also made them all eye him with tightly concealed distrust and curiosity, especially as it was obvious to even those that didn’t know Melissa, that Rafe was Scott’s biological father.

 

 

The only ones who understood the root of the Pack’s distrust of the man were the older Hales who had lived in Beacon Hills, as they remembered when Rafe McCall abandoned his wife and child.  Though they could also tell there was something more to the rift between Scott and the older McCall.

 

 

When Scott continued to speak to Rafe with strict civility, the returned members of the Pack were even more wary of the Agent, especially as Scott had called Zale Dad and made a point to touch him in greeting.  The newly returned Hales also noticed that the, to them, newer members of their Pack also eyed Rafe McCall with wariness and suspicion as they moved once again to put a wall of bodies between the older man and Stiles and Scott.  It didn't escape Elena's notice that Derek had placed a steadying hand on the back of Scott’s neck, stopping the sub-vocal growling that all of the wolves could hear.

 

 

Lydia calmly pressed up against Allison, who was holding Peter’s two year old son Andrew. Looking at the little boy and his siblings erased any lingering anger she might have been harboring against Peter for the two attacks he perpetrated against her when he was insane and cursed.  Lydia noticed that while the boy had Peter’s eyes and looked a little like Peter’s mate, he also looked like Derek’s baby brother and another of the youngest Hales.

 

 

Peter himself had his arm around his mate where he was also standing pressed up against Allison seeking comfort in his new Pack mate, while holding his first family close.  It was helping to ease the agony of his last memories of holding his mate and children close.  Despite being freed of his insanity and the curse, he would always be haunted by the horror of that day.  The longer he stood with them the more he felt that he did not deserve the joy that their return brought him.

 

 

“You have an interesting Pack, Derek,” Derek’s Aunt Louise said looking at each of the members.  “In addition to the family, you have two born wolves, a banshee with earth magick, two hunters, a pair of sparks with elemental magick, a fire witch, and a human with medical knowledge to round out your bitten wolves,”  Louise said looking at each member of the Hale Pack that weren’t born or adopted Hales.

 

 

“These aren’t all of the Pack.  I’m sure that the rest that are in town right now will show up any minute.”  Derek shrugged with a smile as Zale pressed a hand to his shoulder. “Thank you for coming, especially with what today is,”  Derek said solemnly, finally able to acknowledge the importance of the day and his regret of how it had been intruded upon by the necromancers.

 

 

“You’re family, Derek, that’s more important.  Like with Stiles and Scott, no matter what is happening in my life, I will always be there for you.  You and the others in our Pack are family and family always comes first,”  Zale told him gently, his eyes warm and sorrowful, a sober smile on his face.

 

 

Zale counted himself blessed to have Derek as Stiles’ mate and to have the other members of the Pack as family.  He had only asked them to wait to bond so that they would have more than a weekend together afterward.  Zale felt that they both deserved better than that, or to have to hide their relationship from the idiot teenagers and some of the teachers at the school.

 

 

Melissa and Chris had agreed with him, so had Peter and Ennis, who had explained that for the first three days after their bonding that Derek would not want anyone near them, even the Pack. There were ceremonies and rituals that went with being an Alpha that could not be done within such a limited time frame.  They would be better off waiting until school was over and had the time they needed to go through the proper rituals.

 

 

At the time they had all been sad that Talia, Adam, Elena, and Deacon not be there to lead the rituals, and now they would be.  No matter what else happened, Zale intended to keep the schedule of Stiles and Derek’s planned bonding day.  He knew with all of the upheaval and confusion Derek would need the bond and Stiles to get through the coming days.

 

 

“Is Claudia going to come Zale?” Adam asked as he greeted the man he once called his friend, despite the secrets of the family, they had worked well together since Adam had been a deputy with the Sheriff’s office. He knew that when the family had died that Claudia had been very ill.  Adam and Talia had been talking about revealing themselves to the Stilinskis and offering Claudia the bite, but he could only hope she survived on her own.

 

 

Zale and Stiles both blanched and Stiles let out a shaky breath when his father answered in a husky tone rich with pain,  “Claudia died a month after the fire... she succumbed to the disease.”  Zale was as shaky and pale as his son, who was doing his best to keep the depth of his pain away from Gideon.

 

 

Scott and Melissa reached out and laid comforting hands on Zale and Stiles in support, showing them their love and empathy.  While Zale and Stiles always spent this day alone, the McCalls had always been welcome to come and stay with them, but the pair had felt that Stiles and Zale needed to spend the day with just the two of them.  Especially with how Stiles used to have terrible panic attacks after Claudia died if his father left him alone.  It was the love and attention of all three of them that helped Stiles gain control of his panic, and enabled him to regain the sense of security that his mother’s death took away.  It was also why none of the three fought with Stiles about his control of their diet, even if they did sneak and break it occasionally.

 

 

Talia and Adam both shared a pained look at the confirmation of one more life taken by the fire, while the other Hales that knew Claudia reacted in true grief for the woman who was always so kind to them.  Talia swallowed back her useless guilt she knew that Claudia's death was not her fault, though she felt it was.  Claudia was just one more person that she had failed with her mistaken belief in Kate Argent.   “I am sorry Zale, Stiles.  Claudia was a wonderful woman.”  Talia said in a husky voice.

 

 

Zale smiled weakly. “Thank you.  I’m glad that you are all back, but I’m not sure how or why this happened or what to do about the dead bodies.  Though I have a feeling Stiles already has an idea on how to cover it up.”

 

 

Stiles let out a squawk of outrage at the poke Zale gave him in the ribs on the last bit, causing Gideon to giggle, which made Stiles grin weakly down at the little boy, who was making him feel better.

 

 

“Danny, you, and I can just set the bodies on fire and then Lydia can bury their ashes deep into the earth. Beyond that I may have a plan on how to explain everyone being alive again,”  Stiles grudgingly admitted, though he was still grinning at Gideon.  The Pack were all smirking at how enamored Stiles seemed to be of the youngest Hale sibling.

 

 

“Okay, let’s hear it,”  Melissa said, knowing that Zale and Stiles wanted to change the subject, for that matter so did she and Scott.  They had loved Claudia deeply and every day without her was excruciating.  She wished desperately that Claudia would have been one of the returned. And for the sake of Allison and Isaac that they could have Victoria, Isaac’s mother and his brother Cam back.  Melissa was also amused by how Stiles seemed to have decided that Gideon was one of his now. She knew very well that it would mean that he would be reluctant to give the boy back to his parents.

 

 

Stiles took a breath and then told them what he had planned.  Rafe was staring at him in surprise, but nodded that it would work and that he would help cover up what was going on.  He was still reeling from the truth of what happened in Beacon Hills, but the chance to try to make things up in a small way to his son and ex-wife was worth not being able to be in denial about the supernatural.  Though if he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t going to stay after he got this tangle sorted for his ex-wife and his son’s new family.  Scott didn’t look to him to be his father, he looked at Zale, and Rafe could only blame a little of it on himself, the rest he knew was from Zale taking advantage of Rafe leaving.

 

 

Rafe had always been jealous of Zale and had obsessed that it wasn’t just friendship between the other man and Melissa, despite the fact that Zale had been completely devoted to Claudia and had never openly looked at Melissa with more than brotherly affection.  Rafe still believed that Melissa and Zale were hiding an affair.  It didn’t help that when he told Claudia that they were having an affair she had laughed at him and then slapped him and told both Zale and Melissa when he made a heavy handed pass at her.  With Claudia's dementia he had honestly thought that she wouldn't remember and maybe she wouldn't have but a nine year old Stiles had and made sure she remembered and told Melissa and Zale what he had done.

 

 

This had caused Melissa to kick him out and for Scott to tell him he hated him.  This had fed his alcoholism, though Rafe knew it was only a small part of why he had begun to drink and why he kept drinking.  It was a year later that Claudia was dead, and by then Rafe had left Beacon Hills and had nothing further to do with Melissa and Scott.  Rafe had only gotten sober because he was threatened with the loss of his job, something that both Scott and Melissa knew even though he never told them in all the time he had been back in Beacon Hills.  Since he had learned that the Mahealani kid was a hacker and that Stiles had learned from him, Rafe was certain that it was that little bastard Stiles’ fault they knew and continued to reject him.

 

 

Rafe knew that he would never be able to reclaim a place in Scott and Melissa’s lives because of this. Plus the fact that Stiles often looked at him like he was deficient while Zale was the Father of the Year in everyone's eyes didn't help how Rafe didn't feel worthy of being Scott's father. 

 

 

There was also a part of Rafe that hated Stiles and Zale.  A part that wanted to hurt Stiles and to punish Zale for taking his son from him even though everyone Rafe knew from his time in Beacon Hills told him that he had been, and still was, to blame for losing his family.  There were very few people that he had known that would actually have anything to do with Rafe, and he hated the Stilinskis for it.  Rafe’s attention was suddenly diverted from the stare off he had been having with Stiles as a truck came into the clearing.

 

 

Stiles snorted in humor when Deputy Micah Parrish calmly parked and climbed out of his truck.  “I knew you’d show up sooner or later,”  Stiles called teasingly, though he was pressed against Derek and was touching Scott who was once again sub-vocally growling at Rafe for the way he was staring coldly at Stiles.

 

 

Derek and Isaac were trying to calm him, while also trying to figure out why Stiles and Scott were always so aggressive and on edge with Rafe McCall. They knew it had nothing to do with the man abandoning his family, what it was they hadn’t guessed at yet, but they would if only to keep Scott from killing the man.

 

 

It didn’t help that the older man was always so condescending towards Stiles and Zale, while being smarmy towards Melissa or desperately reaching with Scott.  Derek was pretty sure that one of these days Agent McCall was going to make the wrong comment to Melissa, and Chris was going to shoot him. If Zale didn’t set him on fire first.

 

 

“I heard Derek howl, figured obviously that something had happened, and since there are actual dead bodies I’m right,”  Micah sassed as he calmly walked over to them after giving the people he didn’t know a curious look, and Agent McCall a hard one.  Micah knew the man was a danger, he just didn’t know who the man was a danger to, his ex-wife and the son he abandoned, or Zale and Stiles.

 

 

Derek rolled his eyes when Kira and her parents showed up a few seconds later.  His family looked on in confusion as the two kitsune and two humans calmly walked up to them, taking a moment to pat Stiles and Derek on the arms in acknowledgment of their role as the Alphas of the Hale Pack.

 

 

Derek quickly introduced the newcomers. “Right, this is Micah Parrish, Kira, Noshiko, and Tom Yukimura.  Kira and Noshiko are both thunder kitsune.  Micah and Tom are human, but Micah is a trained soldier and is taking training from Chris. Tom is a historian and is working with Stiles, Lydia, and Danny to join our bestiary, with the Argent bestiary, and the Yukimura bestiary.  All four are part of the Pack.  They helped us with a Darach and with protecting an evil spirit locked in the Nemeton.  Noshiko also helped Stiles, Lydia, Danny, and Deaton break a curse placed on Peter by Gerard’s enslaved witch.

 

 

“Speaking of Deaton.”  Derek huffed in irritated amusement as Alan Deaton pulled up in his SUV leaking aggression, only to stumble in shock at the sight of the returned Hale’s. Derek knew that Deaton was trying to make amends, but Derek wasn’t sure he would ever trust the man.

 

 

The fact that Stiles didn’t like him and had in fact punched Deaton in the face twice, once for giving Scott the plan to force Derek to give Gerard the bite, and the second time for trying to coerce him into learning necromancy, didn’t help his feelings on the matter.  The rest of the Pack, even Scott and Isaac who worked for him, also reflected the wariness and distrust of their Alphas for the Emissary.  Cora and Laura had even picked up the distrust and wariness of the rest of the Pack for their parents friend and one time adviser.

 

 

“Ha! He can be surprised,” Stiles muttered with vicious glee, making the teens standing around him snicker.

 

 

“Stiles.”  Derek and Zale said in the same exasperated tone, though they silently agreed with him, and Zale carried the same resentment for Deaton’s past behavior.  Zale also didn’t like the fact that the man had tried to teach Stiles death magick.  Stiles merely smirked at them.

 

 

“Alan,”  Talia greeted the man gently, while quietly amused by her son’s mate, and agreeing that it was entertaining to see the stunned look on the normally unruffable man’s face.  Though she shared a private look of concern with Adam over the resentment and wariness she could see for their friend in the Pack that their son had brought together.  Even her daughters shared the same feelings for the man who had worked with their Pack for so long and was in fact Gideon’s godfather.

 

 

“Talia, Derek what happened?” Alan asked as he made his way to them, noticing the dead bodies.  He paled with horror when he caught sight of the dead leader, dread and fear filling him.  “Did he hit anyone with his magick?” Alan asked urgently, looking up at the Pack, his eyes dark with worry for the Pack that was once his, and the new Pack that he was slowly work at regaining the trust of after making grief-driven mistakes when they first began to form around Derek.

 

 

 

He knew that he needed to stop being cryptic, and that he needed to admit to being a seer with only a small bit of the gift.  He had tried to teach Stiles necromancy so that he could use it to fight the death coming for members of the Pack from Darach.  Alan Deaton honestly did not recognize the man he had become and wondered how far he was from becoming something that the Pack would have to destroy.  Especially as his mate stood among the returned Hales.

 

 

“Nope,”  Stiles answered easily, his attention once again on Gideon, who was babbling happily at Stiles.  There was something about the little boy that felt familiar, but Stiles couldn’t place it.

 

 

“Stiles, Lydia, Danny, and Allison did them in before they could hit anyone with magick.  It helped that Stiles teleported in and shocked the hell out of the lead guy,”  Isaac told the vet from where he was pressed against Derek’s back.  His wolf was anxious with all of these people that he didn’t know, but smelled like home and family.  The ramped up tension between Stiles, Scott, and Agent McCall wasn’t helping.

 

 

Alan looked at Stiles sharply, eyes wide with worry and shock.  “You teleported? Why are you still standing, how are you still standing?” Alan demanded, once again caught off guard when it came to Stiles and the power that the boy possessed.  A power that Stiles’ father was starting to gain now that his powers had been opened in the fight against Gerard Argent and the Alphas.

 

 

“Yes I teleported, my Pack needs me, and that’s how I’m still standing.  We have a lot of people who used to be dead in the front of the house they were killed in.  There are actual dead bodies of black necromancers who brought back the Hales so they could sacrifice them and the rest of the Pack.  We have cover stories and protections to craft.  I don’t have time to be unconscious right now,”  Stiles answered irritably. Leave it to Deaton to spill how exhausted Stiles was to everyone, though the longer he was with Derek and the others the less tired he felt.

 

 

“Whoa! Wait, what?” Scott asked looking at Stiles through narrowed eyes.

 

 

Stiles rolled his eyes at the overprotective fit he could see coming. “I’m tired, it’s no big.  I’ve never teleported before.  Usually you build up magick for a few days before you do it the first time and even then you need a large meal and several hours of sleep afterward.  I’ll be fine.  I promise,” Stiles reassured his family.

 

 

He rolled his eyes again as his father, Isaac, Derek, and Scott all herded him to the chair that Lydia had abandoned when the Hale family appeared.  He looked at the little boy in his arms.  “They’re impossible.”  Gideon just giggled at him, making Stiles grin back brightly, Gideon was like holding sunlight and happiness.  “Seriously, those dimples.”

 

 

“I think you just lost your baby brother to Stiles,”  Allison told Cora, who bit back a snicker, surprised by her reaction.  Cora sobered at the guilt and shame that filled her and she looked over to Laura to see that her older sister had the same look on her face.

 

 

Cora stepped away from her older sister Carol and her sister’s mate Alexander, who was holding their daughter Annie, and walked with Laura to stand in front of Stiles.  His face went blank at the two women coming to stand in front of him, though he was careful not to project his emotions with Gideon being in his arms.  He didn’t want to upset the little boy.  Scott and Derek both glared at them, while Isaac looked at them warily.

 

 

“Stiles... I’m so sorry.  I was just so pissed about being pulled back and upset that I left Derek when I promised him I wouldn’t.  I wanted to blame someone and you were there when I was found, along with you having power.  You also helped Derek do something I never managed, you helped him heal and accept more people into his life and that made me feel like an even worse alpha.”  Laura’s voice was soft with pain, but her apology was sincere.

 

 

Stiles surged up and pulled her into a hug, shocking everyone.  “Laura, shit, you didn’t do anything wrong.  I understand and I don’t blame you for being pissed.  As for me helping Derek heal... you started that by never leaving him.  It took death to take you away, even knowing the truth of what happened with Kate, you didn’t leave him by choice, and you always made sure he knew he was the most important person in your life.

 

 

“You made him finish school and go to college because you said he deserved a future.  It was that memory that helped Derek start to heal.  I just wouldn’t leave him alone, and drug Scott and Lydia along with me. He’s a great Alpha because he had you and your Mom as examples of how an Alpha was to act.  Derek brought the others in because he thought you would have claimed them as your own and because he wanted them to be his,”  Stiles told her, not letting go, his voice holding utter conviction and sincerity.

 

 

Laura was stunned by the sob that wanted to leave her.  This boy that she had treated like shit was not only accepted her, but was telling her she was a good Alpha to her brother.  She hadn’t known until he said it that she needed to hear someone say she wasn’t a total fuck up.  When they pulled away, Gideon kissed her cheek and that was enough to make the tears fall down her face, especially when it was clear that the rest of the Pack she had treated so badly was looking at her in understanding and forgiveness.

 

 

Cora swallowed and reached forward hugging Stiles carefully, she had a lot of anger in her and it had gone at the people who didn’t deserve it.  Like Laura she felt she had screwed everything up, only in her case it was by not making sure that anyone survived the fire.  It was easier to be angry than to admit she could have had her family all of this time, to have companionship in her mourning.

 

 

Stiles patted her on the back gently, giving her a crooked smile when she pulled away.  She was relieved when Scott seemed to give her the same forgiveness that Stiles was offering.  Cora looked over at Erica and blushed when the blond gave her a wicked grin and winked.  The rest of the Pack, including Allison, smiled at her kindly. What was with these people that they had such forgiveness and acceptance in them? Especially as they had not made her say the words, but had simply understood by her actions how remorseful she felt.

 

 

Talia could see that her mate and her family were all seeing the kindness and acceptance from Derek’s Pack. They had always feared their children would never receive that from those not within their family or from another Packs.  Talia also felt stupid for never telling Zale the truth of their nature as Adam had urged they do. She had a feeling her family would have been protected from hunters had he known, and perhaps Claudia would still be alive.  Then again, there was no guarantee that the children in her son’s Pack would have joined them or that they would not have been killed in some other manner.  Fate was fickle that way and Hunter’s were a danger no matter what Pack you were a part of or where you hid.

 

 

Peter was clinging to his mate and children feeling truly complete for the first time since the day that ended in fire and madness.  Elenora was holding Peter close and wondered how he had survived the fire.

 

 

As always when it came to her husband and matters of the heart, their son Geo was in tune with her thoughts and asked the question she desperately wanted to know the answer too.  “Papa? How did you survive?” the teenager asked softly, his green eyes dark with the pain of that day.

 

 

The adults had killed the children when it became clear that none of them would be able to escape the burning home.  The last thing Geo remembered was his father kissing his forehead and the sound of his mournful howl as Peter stopped his heart.

 

 

Peter, Laura, Cora, and Derek all made a wounded sound in their throats, and Geo blanched when his father swayed reeking of pain, shame, and horror.  “Peter!” Elenora said worriedly, while their daughter Candice, who was a year younger than her brother, reached out to help steady her father.

 

 

Andrew whimpered at his Daddy’s distress reaching for him, causing Peter to take him from Allison’s arms.  Stiles turned to hug Derek, while Allison wrapped an arm around Peter, tucking her face against his back.  Erica pulled Laura into a hug and Boyd pressed against the two, offering Laura the support and comfort that she needed.

 

 

Lydia reached over and took Allison’s hand, quietly replying, “I need you all not to ask that.  I know you don’t know me, that you have no reason to listen to anything I have to say... but if you love him, don’t ask. Never ask any of them.  He’s suffered so much. He, Laura, and Derek all have, Cora as well.  What was done to Peter was worse than the fire.”

 

 

The Hales saw the way that the Pack Derek had made all looked upset and how Derek was actually trembling in Stiles’ hold. Scott and Isaac had pressed against the Alpha pair, while Zale pressed a hand onto Derek’s shoulder.  Erica and Boyd surrounded Laura and hugged her tightly, while Cora was curled against Carol.  Cora pressed her face into her sister’s chest with Danny and Jackson wrapped around them. The twins and Chris stood guard over Alexander and Annie.  Micah, Kira, Noshiko, and Tom had taken a stance of protection as well, guarding their mourning Pack mates.

 

 

Peter was so pale and looked so haunted that Talia wanted to cry in response. She had only seen her brother that way once before.  Laura was crying in earnest now, the memories of what happened to them after the fire and of being helpless to cure Peter still haunted her.  Not to mention how guilty she felt for walking into a situation and letting her guard down enough to be killed by Peter and leaving Derek alone.

 

 

Alan turned to press his face against his mate’s hair, his own body shaking with the memory of finding the burning husk of the Hale home, and the feeling of losing Rena from the bond he had begun with magick.  It had felt as though he were being cleaved in two, until today when he felt her again inside of him.

 

 

Alan had come to kill what was pretending to be his love and instead found her alive.  He knew that the darkness that had come to him with her passing was already beginning to be burned away by the brightness of her love and gentle spirit.  He felt great guilt at not being able to protect the people he cared for and for making so many mistakes with Derek and his new Pack.

 

 

Cora had only learned second hand what had happened to her brother, sister, and uncle, and had not understood how Derek and Peter had had the strength to keep going.  It had also made her anger even worse because she had hid with a Pack and had only suffered when she had come to Beacon Hills and been captured by the Alphas. Then only to be saved from them by the new family that Derek and Peter had forged.  A family she had irrationally felt was better to them than she was.

 

 

Elenora looked at her husband and saw the self-loathing in his eyes.  “I don’t deserve this family or my Pack, either group of you,”  Peter whispered, closing his eyes tightly.

 

 

“Bullshit,”  Stiles, Scott, Lydia, Chris, Derek, and Allison said loudly and in unison, while the rest of the Pack loudly agreed with the six who had personally been attacked by Peter.

 

 

Laura also agreed with the group. Even though Peter had killed her, she knew that it wasn’t his fault, that it was not the person her Uncle was to her and to Derek.

 

 

Sincerely and calmly, Zale added, “You were not to blame, Peter.  No matter what anyone else thinks, neither you nor Derek are to blame for what happened to your family, or for anything that came with it.  Gerard and Kate Argent are the only ones to blame and they didn’t suffer enough for the lives they destroyed or the families that they devastated.

 

 

“You are also not responsible for Malia.  Her violence and mania was not your doing either. Once you learned about her, who she was to you and you were freed of the curse, you had her moved to a facility for weres that were mentally ill.  You did the best that you could for her and for Derek and Cora, then for Laura when she was returned.  Malia’s mania was not your fault or hers, she tried to function within the Pack but in the end she was just too broken.”  The wolves could hear no change in Zale’s heart rate, showing that he believed what he was saying.

 

 

Talia and Elenora both paled, “You met Malia?” Talia asked choked, her face going ashen.  All of the adult Hales looked like they were about to fall apart.

 

 

Peter nodded. “Why did you take the memory of her away?” He wasn’t angry, just confused as it wasn’t the type of person his sister was, especially as she had celebrated each of his children’s births.

 

 

“You still don’t have the memories?” Elenora asked tearfully, silently begging any god or goddess that was listening that the memories had not returned.

 

 

Peter shook his head.

 

 

“Thank the gods,”  His mother whispered as she clutched her husband’s hand tightly, who was breathing slowly in relief.  Peter looked at his parents in confusion.

 

 

In an agonized voice, Deacon began, “Malia’s mother used a terrible spell on you, one that meant that she had nearly destroyed your bond with Ellie, but also left you seriously depressed and sick.  Even after the spell faded and your bond with Ellie was strong again, the sickness remained.  No one could figure out why, until Gabriel went to spy on Malia’s mother and saw that she was pregnant.  The sickness was because she was using a spell to feed off your essence to unnaturally strengthen her pregnancy with Malia to warp her brand of lycanthropy.  When the baby was born we could sense something _wrong_ with her.”

 

 

Talia softly picked up the tale. “You went insane on the day she was born, trying to kill yourself. After we subdued you, we called in another witch. Alan was out of town and Marin refused to go near the child since she had given Alan the promise not to kill Malia, but not Amelisa, who it was Marin wanted to kill.  Marin had desperately wanted to take Malia away from her mother along with sealing Amelisa Tate’s powers so that she could not do this to someone else.

 

 

“Cassandra said the only way to save you and the baby was to take the memories away from you and to break the parent bond that was forming.  She told Malia’s mother that karma would punish her for what she had done and that darkness would be all she and her family would know for the transgression against nature, magick, and against a soulmate bond.

 

 

“Cassandra took the memories and broke the bond.  Once it was done, you were back to normal.  At your request we kept a guard on the Tate family and when a second child was born we watched her to make sure she would not have the mental and magickal scar that Malia was born with.  Thankfully the child was born normal.  For that matter, Malia was mostly a normal child, though she had periods of depression. She was never violent, however.”

 

 

Peter nodded. “We had to save her from a Coven leader.  She was going to kill Malia due to the wrongness in her.  Marin took Malia to the facility I convinced her adoptive Father to put her in and has stayed with her to act as a guard and emotional support.”

 

 

Talia stared in sadness, but nodded.  “Whenever a Light magick user passed through the area we had to assign a protector for the Tate family and they all always said that the child was an abomination.  More than one fought with Alan and Marin over Malia and her Mother, and the fact that we did not run her out of our territory or kill the child.”

 

 

Alan nodded that this was true as he continued to hold tightly to his mate. He seemed to be relaxed in a way none of the made Hale Pack had ever seen him.  This confused the made Hale Pack. Derek’s face tightened as he finally let go of some of the mental blocks on the memories of his family and remembered that his Aunt Rena was Alan’s mate and that they were preparing to formalize their mating when the fire happened.  With this memory it was no wonder to Derek that Alan was not the person he remembered from his childhood and the time before the fire.  Alan was no longer the man who helped Talia and Adam ease Derek through his first shift and through killing Paige on the Nemeton.

 

 

Alan finally said, “I never believed that Malia was to blame for what her mother did to Ellie and Peter.  Cassandra was the reason the White Ones knew about Malia, and they disagreed with my letting her live. It was Cassandra that helped us gain information to stop the Darach despite the fact that she felt Malia should have been killed at birth.   We all feared that there would be a witch war between Marin and Cassandra over Cassandra’s wish to kill the girl, but Stiles using his powers to weave a spell to protect Malia and her adoptive father put a stop to their battle plans.   Marin is working in hospital to keep an eye on the girl and has already stopped two attempts on Malia’s life.”

 

 

Alan added, “Cassandra also didn’t like the fact that Malia tried to seduce Stiles, and that she kept saying that Stiles was supposed to be someone else by the time they met.  We can only assume that Malia meant he was to be under the control of the spirit entombed in the Nemeton, since it has tried more than once to claim him.”

 

 

“Especially after Scott forced her to return to her human form after she tried to kill Agent McCall. Stiles offered her sanctuary until they could figure out how to help her and get her to her to the man she considers to be her father.  Stiles also helped Peter and Mr. Tate find a safe place to house Malia when it became obvious that Echo house needed to be closed due to the abuses by the staff. Plus Malia was too dangerous for a normal human facility and was too broken to be returned to a normal life here in Beacon Hills.”  Alan’s admission had the returned Hales looking horrified by what they were hearing.

 

 

Alan continued by saying, “Cassandra, for reasons I have yet to determine, is extremely protective of Stiles and has even settled in Beacon Hills to help train Stiles in his gifts. She also is helping Zale in his late life awakening of his spark, along with Lydia and Danny and Danny’s younger siblings.” In truth, he just wanted to take Rena away and hide with her some place where they would be safe and uninterrupted.

 

 

“What spirit?” Amanda Hale asked, wanting to make sure it was the same spirit she knew about and not the spirit of the poor little girl that Derek had been forced to kill before Kate came to destroy all of their lives.  Amanda was the eldest of the Hale siblings and looked the most like Derek, Adam, Dominic, and Gideon.  The rest of the Hale siblings looked like their mother.

 

 

“The Nogitsune,”  Noshiko answered.  “I called it during World War two, when my love was killed by the soldiers keeping us prisoner in the nearby camp.  I imprisoned it in the Nemeton to keep it from spreading its evil to those who were innocent of any wrongdoing.  I have long regretted calling the spirit, but I know of no way to be rid of it that would not end in death and destruction.”

 

 

“So it is the evil Kitsune spirit?” Dominic Hale asked also seeking confirmation, looking at Noshiko.  She nodded her agreement, surprised that they knew what the Spirit was and what it meant.

 

 

Elena explained, “We could feel the spirit the night it was let loose and have had the Nemeton under watch since you entombed it and again after the death of poor Paige.  We feared it would be released with her death, but thankfully it was not.  Since we first felt the Nogitsune’s presence, it has always been the job of the oldest member of the family that was not set to be Alpha.”

 

 

At the questioning look on Noshiko and Tom’s faces, Elena added,  “We wanted to help the people of the camp, but by the time we gathered enough supplies and people who could have helped us smuggle you from the states, the deaths happened and then cover up began.”

 

 

“It was partially my fault, I became impatient and did not heed the advice of others.  In the end it cost me my love, my people, and released a evil unto the world,”  Noshiko said sadly, her shame and guilt over the many deaths and the threat she had unleashed on the world weighed heavily on her shoulders.  She knew exactly how Derek felt when it came to the deaths of his family and the horror that had been mad Peter.

 

 

“There is a way to deal with the spirit without releasing it,”  Decon Hale said calmly.  “We had discovered it just before the fire.”

 

 

The newer members of the Hale Pack all looked at him in sharp interest, especially Noshiko, Derek, and Zale, who feared what would happen to Stiles if they didn’t get rid of the spirit.

 

 

“What is it?” Kira asked eager to be rid of the danger to her boyfriend’s best friend.

 

 

Carol, having researched the spirit, offered, “It needs to be enclosed in wood made of the Nemeton, not the actual tree itself.  Even though the Nemeton has been cut down, there is still a lot of magick inside of the tree, more if it has been used in a dark ritual.  The reason that it wasn’t released with Paige’s death was because Derek did what he did to ease her suffering and out of love, he also did not trap her spirit and tie it to the tree.”

 

 

 

“By removing the Nogitsune from the tree and placing it in the box, it will end some of the craziness that is attracted to the town and the spirit can be kept from doing any harm to anyone.” She and her family had finally gathered everything to entomb the spirit when they were killed by Kate Argent and her group of paid killers.

 

 

“That is an excellent idea,” Chris responded softly. “And I know a man who has a dangerous artifacts hold that is sunk under the earth and tied behind so many spells that once something is placed within its walls, it can never be removed. The spells will seal the vault permanently and take it out of time and reality if they are broken.”  He wondered if they would trust him to be rid of the dangerous spirit.

 

 

“That sounds like an ideal place for the Spirit,” Noshiko said, relieved to know that it would be dealt with and that Stiles and the rest of her new Pack were out of danger.  She had never thought to be a part of a wolf Pack, but joining Derek’s Pack had been the best thing to ever happen to her and her family.  Kira was happy for the first time in a long time and Tom had an eager audience when it came to telling the history of their peoples and of the magickal creatures in their bestiary.

 

 

Kira was also involved with her first love, and the relationship she had with Scott would more than likely turn into a foursome as both Allison and Isaac were in love with Scott. Scott’s feelings for the two were as deep as the feelings he carried for Kira.  Her daughter felt the same way as her boyfriend.  Noshiko and Tom had no problem with this and were actually relieved that Kira was in a relationship with at least two people who would be as long lived as Kira would be.

 

 

“Are we sure bringing us back won’t cause problems like on Buffy?” Maggie Hale asked, she was Louise and Stephen’s daughter and the same age as Cora and Geo.

 

 

“It won’t. We made sure after Jackson and then Laura came back from the dead,”  Alan told her gently, his usual calm attitude returning.

 

 

Stiles rolled his eyes and muttered ‘zen master’ under his breath, causing Derek to sigh, while Scott, Isaac, Aiden, and Ethan snickered at him.  Kira held back her giggles and repeated what he said to her Pack-mates, causing them to all snicker in response while Zale sighed along with Derek.  There was a reason that Zale and Derek got along so well, they both knew when to put up with Stiles and when to argue with him, no matter how many times he seemed to come out on top in those arguments.

 

 

“So I’m guessing we should get back to town and start spreading the story that Stiles came up with and start getting the supplies needed,” Lydia said smiling at Stiles in affection. She had become close to Stiles and Scott after the first time Peter attacked her.  Her relationship with Derek had also deepened after she had hidden him from Kate Argent.

 

 

When she was bit, Derek had sought out help to find out why she hadn’t turned.  That was how she had learned that she was a banshee.  It also meant that when Peter used her to come back from the dead, she had the three to turn to and help her understand what it meant.

 

 

It was only later that she brought Allison and Jackson into their lives.  When Jackson was bit, he had a group of people that instantly sought to give him reassurance that he was wanted.  It also gave Allison a place to go when her mother committed suicide and she broke the conditioning from Gerard.  Isaac, Erica, and Boyd were bitten in this time and had quickly become integral to the Pack. It was Melissa, Allison and Lydia that helped Erica with her makeover.

 

 

Danny had come to them when Gerard had killed Jackson with aconite poisoning in the middle of a lacrosse game to hide the fact that he had kidnapped Stiles, Erica, and Boyd.  It was the connection of the Pack and Lydia’s love and abilities as a banshee who practiced earth magick that had brought Jackson back from the dead.

 

 

By the time that Zale was brought into the truth to help them save Stiles, Erica, and Boyd the Pack was stronger than ever and they didn’t have to stand alone against Gerard and his insanity. Chris also joined the Pack after he helped Zale cover up Gerard’s murder by making it look like self-defense instead of the assassination it truly was.

 

 

Stiles nodded, looking down at Gideon, who was starting to fall asleep against his chest.  “I figure that Peter’s family can stay with him at his rental. Derek, his parents and grandparents can stay with me and Dad, along with his siblings and Isaac.  The others can decide where they want to stay for the night between the two places.

 

 

“I figure that everyone will want to talk to the builder that Peter and Derek hired and put their ten cents into how the house is going to be rebuilt. But first we need to deal with returning the life insurance policies and with getting temporary housing going for everyone.”

 

 

“You just don’t want to give up Gideon,” Laura teased, feeling free for the first time since she was suddenly back alive in the woods where she had died. Maybe even for the first time since her family died in the fire, and the power of the Alpha had rushed through her body and destroyed what she thought would be her and Derek’s futures.

 

 

“You got me, I have a soft spot for Hales. You all have pretty faces, expressive eyebrows, and dimples.  It’s distracting and unfair to the rest of the populace,” Stiles teased back, causing Laura to burst into laughter.  She wasn’t alone, Carol grinned at the boy and wondered how he had come to be the mate of her taciturn little brother.

 

 

“How exactly did you and Derek meet?” Rena Hale asked curiously from Alan’s arms. She was amused by the sassy boy her nephew had claimed as his mate.  Rena was so relieved to be with her mate and saddened by the fact that her nephew and the new members of the Pack looked at Alan with distrust.  Rena looked like Derek and carried the Hale name even though she wasn’t actually a Hale by birth. She was Adam’s younger sister, but had come with him when he had mated with Talia due to the fact that her old Pack’s seer had told her her mate lived within the Hale boundaries.  It was years before she would actually meet Alan in person and that they would begin to court and later prepare for their mating ceremony. Unfortunately, she died with the rest of the family before their mating could be completed.

 

 

“Scott and I were trespassing on the Hale property and then we got him arrested for murder,”  Stiles answered honestly.

 

 

They all blinked at him in disbelief, even several of their friends, who hadn’t known that part of how the three met.

 

 

“Mom and Dad nearly killed us when they realized that we had Dad arrest Derek when he was innocent.  By then Lydia had been bit, but not turned, and Scott had gotten bit and turned, and while I was doing good teaching Scott to be a wolf, I wasn’t one.  We also couldn’t figure out why Lydia didn’t turn and were worried that the Hunters would kill or kidnap her to experiment on her.

 

 

“Most of the what the internet had to offer about some of my questions was strange and scarily pornographic, so I started stalking Derek until he answered my questions.”  Stiles gave them a winsome smile, not the least bit put off at the gaping that was going on.  Lydia giggled and Scott started laughing at Stiles’ next comment.  “Derek tried to avoid me at first but I stole a pair of my Dad’s handcuffs and cuffed him to me until he promised to answer my questions about what was going on with Scott and Lydia.” Stiles’ cheerful words had those that didn’t know him gaping at him in astonishment.

 

 

“You did not!” Dominic squawked, his green eyes wide with wonder and the beginnings of affection.

 

 

“Yes, he did. And he sang the sappiest Disney songs ever written until I promised to stay and answer his questions,” Derek answered with a laugh. He was pretty sure that was when he realized that Stiles belonged to him.  It was cemented when Stiles had Melissa and Zale basically kidnap him, and then Peter, and Isaac and to give them safety and a family.

 

 

“Stiles! Disney? I thought we had an embargo on using Disney as a form of torture after the bacon incident,” Zale protested pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation, not even surprised that his kid would hold someone hostage until his questions were answered.  If he had known about that part he would have done something big to make it up to Derek.  Having someone arrested for murder wasn’t as bad as listening to Stiles sing Disney songs.  It wasn’t that Stiles couldn’t sing, it was just that Stiles used the worst Disney songs on the planet, and he sang in a whiny falsetto, on purpose, to add to the torture.

 

 

“That’s just mean, Stiles. I’m with Zale, I thought Disney was a no go for torture,” Melissa said, her lips twitching in amusement.

 

 

“I only said I wouldn’t torture my _loved_ ones. Derek hadn’t realized he was mine _yet_ , so technically he wasn’t a loved one,” Stiles protested, his amber eyes twinkling with mischief.

 

 

“I’m confused.  You guys are protesting Disney, but not surprised he’d do something like that?” Adam asked a little amused and a little horrified, but mostly happy that his son had such a lively mate.

 

 

“It’s Stiles,” the made Hale Pack said, as though that explained everything, making the Hales laugh at the matter-of-fact and exasperated tones that carried from the different members of Derek’s Pack.

 

 

“Speaking of it being Stiles,” Allison interjected, “don’t expect real bacon or anything with fat or starches in it while you are staying with Stiles and Zale.  Stiles is a food tyrant and doesn't let anything bad for you in the house. He’s even started regulating my Dad, Peter, and Micah’s diets.”

 

 

Allison grinned at the startled looks on the Hale’s faces.  “Noshiko and Tom get away from the food embargo because he says they already eat healthy, but he’s started making all of us exercise along with our training and if we don’t have training we have to at least do sit ups or go to the gym and walk two miles or do some form of exercise.”

 

 

“Just because the Pack is mostly werewolves,” Stiles lectured, “magickal, banshees, or kitsune doesn’t mean they can eat willy nilly. And the rest of us are human and need to watch our diet.  They need to watch their hearts. Werewolves and kitsunes might heal, but cholesterol and too many starches are still bad for you.  A healthy diet and exercise means a healthy body and a longer life without a heart attack or the chance of diabetes.  And don’t think I don’t know you guys went to the _Burger Palace_ Tuesday and smuggled Dad, Mom, Peter, Chris, and Micah burgers.  Just for that I’m making you all eat kale on Sunday to balance it out.”

 

 

Allison’s mouth fell open and she shared a look of horror with Lydia, while Rafe was trying to keep from glaring at Stiles.  He didn’t treat Rafe with the same care as the other adults, and the kids had not treated him to the forbidden food as they had the other adults in the Pack.  Stiles had also not invited him to the meal for the Pack on Sunday.  It made him hate the boy and his father even more.  Rage simmered under his skin, though he kept his face neutral and thought of all the things he had seen as a FBI agent and all of the ways that he could make Stiles suffer before he died.

 

 

Once again Derek and Isaac had to press against Scott, while Stiles simply reached up and touched Scott’s arm, causing the boy to calm.  All of them looked over at Alan who had placed a protective barrier between Stiles and Agent McCall.  When they looked at the Druid he was looking at Agent McCall the same way he had looked at the Darach and the leader of the Alpha Pack.

 

 

Rena clutched him tightly, worried about the sudden rage that Alan was feeling and projecting towards Rafe McCall.  Zale and Derek narrowed their eyes wondering what they were missing and if they had made a mistake in not trusting Alan Deaton.

 

 

“You wouldn’t really make us eat kale would you?” Aiden asked with a pout, trying to take the focus off of Stiles, and wondering if he would get in trouble if he killed Rafe McCall.  “You promised us lasagna.”

 

 

“Please Stiles?” Danny asked, adding to the mass pouting that his threat caused and preparing to use his powers to protect Stiles if necessary.

 

 

“You can have both, but I expect all of you to eat at least one serving of kale since you smuggled them burgers,” Stiles said, eyes narrowed, immune to the pouting and knowing what his friends were doing.  He was also looking at Alan with assessing eyes.

 

 

He relaxed when he realized that Alan Deaton was in the middle of Derek and Peter when it came to his grief over the death of his mate and the Hales. He had the same self imposed hatred, but hadn’t quite fallen into the insanity that Peter had.  Stiles resolved to have a conversation with the Druid that didn’t involve him calling the man names, punching him, or stomping out of the room.

 

 

Elena laughed, looking just like her daughter and granddaughters with her sharp beauty and her dark eyes. “You are very strict.”  Though she too was watching both Alan and Agent McCall, wondering if they were going to have another body on the ground.

 

 

Stiles grinned at her. “I make good kale, they’re just pouting that I busted them.”  This made her laugh again at the disgruntled look on the Pack’s faces.

 

 

Talia and Adam laughed along with Elena and the rest of the returned Hales.

 

 

“Are we invited to dinner?” Carol asked, almost shy, she wanted her brother’s mate and his new Pack to like her and her family.

 

 

“Of course! We would be disappointed if you weren’t there, wouldn’t we Dad?” Stiles asked, turning to look at his father, who smiled down at him affectionately.

 

 

“We would, you are all family now and you belong in our home as much as we do,” Zale said sincerely. He was so happy for Derek, Laura, Peter, and Cora.  There was a part of him that wished his Claudia could be there, and that Victoria and Isaac’s mother and brother could be among the returned, but he knew their deaths were not based in magick the way that the Hales deaths had been.  While it was fire that killed them, it was magick and mountain ash that trapped them in their home. It was that property that the Necromancers had used to bring back the family tied to it.

 

 

Talia smiled at Derek and Stiles, seeing the ease at which they touched each other and how Zale was at ease with Derek at his side.  He wasn’t looking at Derek as though he were a monster, he was looking at Derek as though he were his son.  It heartened her to know that her child had found love and acceptance.  She knew that they had a long road ahead of them, and that they had not begun to truly process all that was going to come from the family being returned. Not the least being that she was no longer the Alpha of the Hale family, and that they had to hide that they had been dead for eight years and that their children had no records to prove their existence.

 

 

Talia didn’t know how or why the necromancers had given them the knowledge of how the world had changed since their deaths, she was just glad that they did.  It was once less problem that the family would face with being back alive.

 

 

**_ ~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~ _ **

 

 

Stiles sat on his bed, Derek asleep beside him with Gideon and Annie on his chest asleep.  Annie was Carol’s daughter and she was two months younger than Gideon, who was 16 months old.  They had latched onto Derek and Stiles the night before and had refused to let go, so Stiles had just told Derek to bring them into his room and the three had fallen asleep not long after they lay down.

 

 

Stiles’ laptop was resting on his crossed legs, and Stiles was chatting with Danny, who was helping him set up a full background for all of the kids in the Hale family.  In this day and age they had to give the children a full electronic history.  Despite the fact that it had only been eight years, online records were more detailed.  Because of this, he and Danny had yet to go to sleep, both wanting to get their Pack members protected from any questions and dangers being returned from the dead could bring.

 

 

The day before had been a rush of emotions and shocks to the system, but once things had settled, Stiles had taken stock of the fact that there were so many kids that needed to have identities created for them. So he had ignored his own fatigue and set to work with Danny.

 

 

While a very small part of him trusted Agent McCall to help him, the rest told him he could only trust in his Pack and that meant working with Danny.  Stiles knew that McCall was a danger to him and to the Pack, and there was no telling when he might turn on them.

 

 

After McCall had left, the rest of the family had decided that they would simply build homes on the Hale property and stay local.  Danny, Lydia, Alan, and Stiles had all promised to find runes to place in the foundations of the homes, ones that would forever protect the inhabitants of the homes from danger, fire, and anyone with ill intent.  Alan had assured the group that Cassandra would be willing to help as well.

 

 

Scott and Stiles hadn’t told anyone yet that they had practiced placing the runes by lining them into the ground around the Stilinski home.  They planned  to place the runes around all of the Pack’s homes, as well as the homes of extended family members and the police and fire station, the hospital, the town’s schools, and despite their mistrust, the vet clinic.  With Deaton, Lydia, Cassandra, and Danny helping they would be able to do it quickly, and with a misdirection spell no one would know that the runes were there.

 

 

It was just after they were sure that the spells had taken that the first fracture in Rafe McCall’s facade had been revealed to the boys.  To this day Stiles and Scott were pretty sure that the man had no idea that Scott had been in the house when Rafe had come to hurt Stiles.  The two boys had been stunned when the runes had repelled the man and that they made him leave with no memory of coming to the house.  The runes had also revealed just what his intent had been.

 

 

Scott had nearly raced from the house to kill his father, but Stiles had calmed him down and made him think instead of just react.  At the time, the elder McCall hadn’t been clued into what was happening in town and they had needed to keep a low profile.  It wasn’t until Malia had nearly killed him that Rafe learned the truth when Scott had forced her to shift back to her human form by subduing her with his natural strength and using the remains of his Alpha powers.  Now Scott and Stiles were wary of him, but unsure what to do.

 

 

Scott and Stiles hadn’t been able to hide how they felt for the man and the fact that Stiles was always on guard against the elder McCall was beginning to come clear to the rest of the Pack.  Stiles knew that they were going to have to tell their parents and Derek because yesterday had proved that Rafe McCall wanted to hurt Stiles any way he could, and maybe even hurt their father.  Neither Stiles nor Scott would allow any harm to come to Zale, even if it meant killing to keep it from happening.

 

 

Stiles sighed as he and Danny finished their task, and Danny signed off to get some sleep.  Stiles put his computer aside and glanced over to check that Derek and the little ones were still sleeping.  Despite the teleporting and the long night, Stiles was only a little tired, and decided to get up rather than sleep.  When he saw that they were still sleeping, he stood carefully and made his way out of his room and down the stairs.

 

 

Everyone would be waking soon and Stiles decided to start on breakfast.  Cooking relaxed him and, despite knowing his family was safe at the moment, the experiences from the day before and the knowledge that Rafe wanted to do terrible things to him was causing Stiles to feel restless and on edge.

 

 

When he walked into the kitchen he was startled to see Scott sitting at the kitchen table. He had expected his friend to still be curled up between Isaac, Lydia, and Jackson in the den.  Stiles had not been surprised when Melissa and Scott had ended up staying with them last night, much to the anger of Rafe McCall.  It didn’t help that Scott called Zale ‘dad’ and asked if it was okay if he stayed over with them.

 

 

Stiles had also not been surprised when Rafe had made a snide comment about Melissa and Zale being in a relationship. The two had been friends for years, and their relationship remained platonic no matter what Rafe McCall thought.

 

 

In fact, Stiles was pretty sure that his father and Ennis were interested in one another.  Explaining that Ennis had been under Deucalion’s mind control for the last 10 years had not been easy. Especially when Derek explained that Ennis was a member of the Pack and had been helping Derek learn to control his Alpha powers.  Thankfully the Hales had accepted it as they had accepted the other members of their Pack.

 

 

Ennis had nearly flipped out when Zale had explained over the phone what had happened with the necromancers and the returned Hales.  He had told Zale that he was cutting his trip short and would be there that morning.

 

 

Chris and Allison had also stayed with them and were asleep on the floor of Claudia’s old craft room with Kira, Tom, Noshiko, Boyd, and Erica. Chris and Melissa were in the first stages of a relationship and they were all concerned about Derek, Cora, Peter, and Laura.  No matter how antagonistic the two young women had been towards them, they genuinely cared for them and wanted things to work out.

 

 

There was also the fact that Melissa, Chris, Zale, and Ennis were beginning to worry about how Rafe was behaving towards Stiles and how Scott seemed to be constantly on the verge of tearing his father to pieces.  Zale and Ennis had told the other two about how they could sense that Stiles was on edge and had his powers slightly activated every time he was near the elder McCall.

 

 

“Hey Scottie, you’re up early,” Stiles said as he squeezed Scott’s shoulder on the way to start the coffee pot.

 

 

“I heard you getting up and thought I’d come help you with breakfast since I figured that was what you were planning on doing” Scott said with a smile for his best friend and brother of the heart.

 

 

Stiles gave him a bright smile in return and nudged him towards the fridge. “Start pulling out the supplies we bought last night.  After I get the coffee going I’ll start on the pancakes,” Stiles told him, pleased to start the day with Scott at his side doing something so innocent as making breakfast.

 

 

Scott paused for a moment and then turned and pulled Stiles into a hug, shaking slightly.

 

 

“Hey man, we’re okay.  It’s going to be okay,” Stiles soothed, knowing what was worrying his friend.

 

 

“We have to tell Mom and Dad, Stiles. The rest of the Pack too.  You saw him yesterday, the rune you made for us was going crazy,” Scott said. He was terrified that his birth father was going to kill Stiles, and if he did, it would be Scott’s fault.

 

 

He hadn’t been thinking when he called Zale ‘Dad’ in front of Rafe, but Scott only regretted saying it because of the danger it was causing Stiles.  In all ways that mattered, Zale Stilinski was his father, and the older man happily claimed the title.  Scott and Stiles knew that Zale hated Rafe and would be happy to run him out of town.

 

 

Melissa had tried to give him a second chance for Scott’s sake, but she had stopped when Scott had told her how her behavior towards Rafe was hurting him.  After that, she had stopped trying to be supportive of the elder McCall.  Melissa's withdrawal of support and polite dismissal had enraged Rafe.

 

 

Rafe had known it was Scott’s doing, and for reasons neither boy could understand, he blamed Zale and Stiles for this.  It was as if in his mind, he could only take a small amount of blame for Scott turning to Zale for a father after Rafe had abandoned his family.

 

 

“Tell us what?” Melissa asked, making the boys to start in surprise, causing their parents to share a look of confusion and worry.  It had been a long time since they had been able to take the two boys off guard.  With Scott’s heightened senses, and Stiles’ magick at a constant state of awareness, they were rarely distracted enough to be caught off guard by anyone, even Derek or Peter, who were the best at sneaking around.

 

 

Stiles and Scott shared a look and were both resigned when they saw Derek standing behind them with Chris, Melissa, Allison, Isaac, Peter, Erica, Boyd, Jackson, Lydia, Kira, Tom, Noshiko, Micah, Cora, Laura, Talia, Adam, Peter, Elenora, Rena, and Aiden.

 

“Where are Annie and Gideon?” Stiles asked, trying to distract the group, but knowing he had failed by the looks on their faces.   All of the Pack had ended up cramming themselves into the Stilinski house, all loath to be away from each other.  Danny and Ethan were the only ones to not stay since Danny’s mother had demanded that he come home and explain what was happening.

 

 

Danny’s family were all fire and earth witches, and knew very well that the town was full of werewolves.  The Mahealani’s had been surprised when he joined Derek’s Pack, but had not stood in his way.  Danny’s parents had only demanded that they be kept in the loop about what was happening in town and to be warned of any danger.  The coven’s teacher, Cassandra, lived with the Mahealani’s and was helping to train Danny’s younger siblings.  They knew and approved of Ethan, and had no problem with him staying over with Danny.  The boys promised that they would only share a bed at the Mahealani home until they were both 18, and Danny’s parents knew that they would keep their promise.

 

 

 

Before Derek could answer, Jackson was opening the door to let in Ennis, Danny, and Ethan.  Scott and Stiles shared a look wondering what was going on.

 

 

“They're with Maggie and Geo getting baths.”  Derek answered as he and the others moved further into the kitchen.

 

 

At the unspoken question on their faces, Derek added, “We decided after the way Scott nearly killed Rafe yesterday that we needed to find out what the hell was going on between you three.  We made an agreement to contact Ennis, Danny, and Ethan, and I promised to wake everyone up when you got out of bed.”

 

 

Scott growled softly at the mention of his birth father.  Everyone was careful not to call Rafe his father as he did not respond well to the assertion that anyone but Zale was his Dad.

 

 

“There it is again.  What is going on Scott? Please we only want to help.  I know you and Stiles have no reason to trust me, Alan, or Cora, but-” Laura started.

 

 

“We trust you, even when you were pissed off at us, we knew we could trust you and Cora.  With Alan we may have misjudged the situation.  Especially after learning that Rena died in the middle of their bonding,” Stiles interrupted.

 

 

Scott nodded to show that he agreed.  Cora and Laura were stunned and Laura had

to blink back the sudden and unexpected urge to cry again, while Cora once again felt shame for the way that she had treated her brother’s new Pack members.  Rena looked at the two boys, and saw that the others in Derek’s Pack were all looking at her with sorrow and understanding.

 

 

“Right... so trust us with what is going on with Agent McCall,” Cora said in a husky voice.

 

 

Stiles bit his lip and Scott nodded.  Scott sighed, “We better sit down, this is going to be a bitch of an explanation and no one is going to like what we have to say.”  They led the way to the living room, and by then most of the adult Hales were in the room waiting for them.

 

 

Stiles and Scott were pleased when Grandmother Hale pulled the boys down to kiss them on the cheek, hoping to ease their upset.  They blushed and sat down on the floor, letting Derek press against Stiles, while Kira curled up against Scott.  The boys knew that the others were probably listening in on the conversation. They waited while the others in the Pack they had made, including Laura and Cora, pressed in close to them. Chris, Peter, Elenora, Adam, Talia, Melissa, Rena, Micah, Ennis, Tom, and Noshiko took different seats among the older members of the Pack.  Once they were seated Stiles began.

 

 

“First, we want you to know that we trust you all with this.  We didn’t say anything before because at first... we didn’t know how, and because we honestly thought it was a one time problem. But the last few weeks, things have just gotten worse, and with Laura being brought back we didn’t want to divide the focus on what was going on with her.  We wanted to make sure that she was safe and that whatever brought her back wouldn’t end up killing us all.  We always planned to tell you guys.”

 

 

The wolves nodded, they could tell Stiles was being truthful.

 

 

“We believe you kid, just tell us what is going on,” Zale prompted reassuringly.

 

 

Scott took a deep breath, feeling for a moment the way he did before an asthma attack. Then Derek placed a reassuring hand on his neck, Stiles squeezed his hand, and Kira pressed a kiss to his cheek, while Allison and Isaac curled tighter against him. This had the effect of easing the pressure on his chest.  Once Scott was steady, the boys began to take turns explaining about the runes that Stiles had created and what they did, including how Stiles had placed a rune on his watch that went to the new bracelet that Scott wore.  They explained that they wanted to make sure they worked before passing them onto the rest of the Pack and using them to protect everyone.

 

 

Scott looked pained as he told them that the runes had an intent clause built into them and that it would warn them about what the danger was and what it meant.  “He didn’t know I was here.  That bastard was coming here to beat Stiles to death because he blames Stiles and Zale for me and Mom not welcoming him back with open arms.  Yesterday when I called Zale ‘Dad’, the rune practically vibrated through my skin.  The danger is just getting worse and I think he’s going to snap soon and actually do the sick shit he thinks about doing to Stiles,” Scott said his voice breaking on a sob.  “I hate him! I hate that he thinks he can come back here after being gone for years and push Dad and Stiles out of the picture, and play house with Mom and me.”

 

 

Zale and Melissa were pale with shock and anger, and Derek’s eyes had gone red.  “I’ll take care of it kids and I’ll do it with backup,” Zale added at the denial he could see forming on his sons’ faces.

 

 

They relaxed at his promise, neither boy would be able to accept it if they were somehow responsible for something happening to their parents.  Melissa was trying not to cry, she hated herself for all of the times she urged Scott to give Rafe a chance to be a real father.  She was so thankful to Zale for stepping up and taking Rafe’s place with Scott, and for the fact that her best friend had realized that his drinking was doing to Stiles what Rafe’s had done to Scott.  Melissa could never hope to take Claudia’s place, but she knew that Stiles loved her as much as he had loved his mother.  The problem with Rafe was that he had never accepted that Melissa and Zale were strictly friends. Claudia had known and accepted the relationship between them, but Rafe never had.

 

 

When Zale stood, he pulled both boys up and into a hug. “Micah and I will deal with Rafe. You boys stay in today, until we let you know that he is gone.  I’m sure you have a lot that needs to be handled today anyway,” Zale told them once he had released his sons.

 

Micah had already stood and was thrumming with rage.  The thought of someone hurting Stiles was enough to have him wanting to hunt down Agent McCall and use some of the lessons he had learned as an interrogator in the military.

 

 

The boys both nodded, and Stiles offered, “Danny and I finished inputting the history we created for the family, and Derek contacted the Pack lawyer and the insurance guy.  They are going to come here and talk to the Hales to settle what amount needs to be returned to the insurance company and what amount can be kept.

 

 

“Thankfully they were both born into the supernatural community so we don’t have to worry about actually lying to them.  I pulled out the files you brought home yesterday and that will help us as well.  Alan is supposed to return from the vet’s office as soon as his intern and tech get in. And Cassandra promised to come over this afternoon and work with us on more runes.  After I make breakfast I’m going to go back to bed and sleep until she gets here.”

 

 

“Go sleep, Stiles.  You too, Danny.  I’ll fix breakfast,”  Melissa ordered.

 

 

“I love you, Mom, but there is no way I’m setting you loose in the kitchen,” Stiles said with a smirk.  Melissa pulled Zale’s favorite thing and poked Stiles in the ribs.  He yelped and moved away from her.  “No fair with the rib poking,” he protested, much to the amusement of those around them. “Come on, Scotty, you can help me fix breakfast and then I’m going to sleep,” Stiles said, hugging Zale one last time before heading to the kitchen.

 

 

Scott did the same thing and followed Stiles into the kitchen, giving his mother a cheeky smile.  Melissa rolled her eyes. She could cook as long as it wasn’t something that didn’t come from a box or the freezer.  Zale snickered and left with Micah, going to run Agent McCall out of town, and make sure the man knew he would kill him if he came near Zale’s kids again.

 

 

**_ ~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~ _ **

 

 

Everyone had just finished breakfast when Stiles suddenly let out a shout of horror and disappeared.

 

 

“NO!” Scott screamed and rushed from the house before anyone could figure out what was going on.  Derek ran after him with Peter and Boyd on his heels.  Erica, Isaac, Ennis, Aiden, Ethan, and Jackson followed behind them, shouting to the others that they would call them when they knew what was going on.

 

 

When they found Stiles and Scott, Stiles was crouching over Zale sobbing as Micah and several of Zale’s deputies were holding Rafe McCall down.  Derek tackled Scott to keep him from killing Rafe, and noticed in an absent way that none of the deputies seemed surprised or afraid of Scott, who was completely wolfed out.

 

 

Erica was trying to calm Stiles down and was shocked when he suddenly healed Zale.  She was the one to catch him as he fell to the ground unconscious and cold to the touch.

 

 

Zale sat up groaning, his wound gone, but his chest still had bruises from where he had been shot.  He reached over and pulled Stiles into his arms, looking up in worry at Alan Deaton and Cassandra Dobrava who were suddenly just there.

 

 

“What did he do?” Alan demanded and he started to run his hands over Stiles.

 

 

“I was shot in the chest and was dying, he teleported to me and then he healed me,” Zale said, his voice husky and strained.  He felt stupid for not putting on his vest, but he honestly hadn’t thought that McCall would be this big a threat.  It was a mistake he would never make again.  If his kids said someone was a threat, he would be armed and wearing his vest when he went to deal with them.

 

 

Alan paled, shaking his head in horror.  “We need to get him among the Pack.  Everyone needs to gather together, he needs the power of the Pack’s bond to heal.  After teleporting yesterday, he was already strained and exhausted.  To teleport again would have been dangerous enough, but there is a reason new magick users are told to never heal.”  Alan’s voice held worry and fear.

 

 

“What are you saying?” Isaac demanded, even as he pulled Scott against him, and watched as Derek placed a shaking hand on Stiles’ chest.

 

 

Alan looked up at him gravely.  “What I am saying is that Stiles is in danger of dying.  He needs to be among Pack, to be surrounded by the power inherent in the bond.  You will all need to take turns lying with him, but we have to go now, the longer we wait to get him with everyone, the less chance we have of him surviving.”

 

 

The Pack all felt horror fill them and Zale stood on shaky legs and let Ennis support him.  “Let’s go.  Jackson, you drive,” Zale ordered.

 

 

Micah walked to where they were, standing near Boyd.  “Jacobson is going to take him in, they’ll handle the charges while we go back to your house.  I’m not sure how we’ll explain you being healed, but we’ll figure it out.  How is Stiles?”

 

 

Zale let out a shuddering breath, even as the young wolves whimpered in distress.

 

 

“He’s dying,” Aiden said in a near whisper.  Micah paled in response, but hurried everyone to the vehicles.

 

 

When they made their way into the house, Melissa was waiting for them.  When she saw Stiles and a pale Zale she cleared the sofa and had them lay Stiles down and pushed Zale into a chair.

 

 

“No, Melissa, Stiles needs to be surrounded by Pack.  He’s dying from magickal exhaustion,” Alan cautioned as he walked in the room with Cassandra, who had been on the phone calling Danny’s mother to ask her to bring several of Cassandra’s potions to the Stilinski house.

 

 

Shock filled the group, and Peter immediately reached over and lifted Stiles from the sofa, while Ennis once again helped Zale stay on his feet.  Adam pulled Derek against him as the Pack followed Peter into the rec room that had been turned into the Pack’s den.  Peter carefully laid Stiles down on the bed, and lay to the left of the boy who had become the center of the new life he and his nephew had forged.

 

 

Derek lay to his right and soon all of the new members of the Pack were surrounding them, each taking a spot that meant that they could either lay on Peter or Derek, and touch Stiles.  Upstairs the sound of crying reached those in the den, and a few minutes later Geo and Carol came down carrying Annie and Gideon.  Cassandra started to protest, but a hard look from Alan had her quieting her protests.

 

 

To the shock of the older magick user, Stiles seemed to relax and the threat of death that loomed over the boy disappeared at the touch of not only the Pack Derek had made, but of the connection he had forged to the two youngest Hales.  When Andrew crawled into the middle of the group sniffling and curling himself up between his father and Stiles, Stiles actually opened his eyes.

 

 

Alan breathed out in relief, while Cassandra gaped in disbelief when Stiles stared at the three youngest Hales in worry, before turning to look at his Dad and breathing out in relief when he saw that Zale was there and healed.

 

 

“Hey guys it’s okay.  Don’t cry, everything’s okay,” Stiles soothed, as he reached up and wrapped his arms around all three toddlers.

 

 

Cassandra looked at Alan in shock and then at Zale, Danny, and Lydia.  “How did we miss this?” she demanded of the younger man.   She then looked at Kira and Noshiko, followed by each member of the Pack, those chosen and those returned.

 

 

“What is wrong with you?” Stiles demanded as he shifted so that the three children were leaning against him, Derek, and Peter.  He reached out and touched each Pack member, then placed his hand on his father’s arm. Stiles felt his Mom reach up with the arm not around Scott and place it on his leg. 

 

 

“You are almost recovered from teleporting twice and healing your father!” Cassandra said slightly shrill.

 

 

“Yeah, so?” Stiles asked not seeing why she was so upset.  “Look, my Dad was dying.  I wasn’t going to let that happen.  I know you said not to, but I had already healed Scott once so I knew how to do it.  Plus I did okay when I teleported yesterday.”

 

 

“The point is that this shouldn’t be possible! You should be dying or already dead.  No magick user does what you have done.  What Zale, Lydia, and Danny have done.  Not even if they have blood ties to their family,” Cassandra said in a near yell.

 

 

“Hey, stop that, you’re upsetting the kids,” Stiles protested, looking down at the three kids, who were whimpering.

 

 

Cassandra took a deep breath to calm herself.  “Stiles, you have managed to bond yourself to every member of the Hale Pack, you have given access to your magick to everyone in this room.  Doing what you have done means that you will know when they are in danger, but you have gained no benefit from this.  Your father, Lydia, and Danny have done the same.  It means that they can use your gifts against you! Even Alan, who was about to bond into the Hale Pack, had not given them access to his gifts.”

 

 

“Yet, I’m alive and getting stronger when you just said I should be dead.  So I’m pretty sure you are wrong about what I am getting from my Pack,” Stiles said in irritation for her attitude.  “I still don’t get why you are upset.  They’re our family, and none of them will use the bond against us.”

 

 

“It’s not done! You have gone the complete opposite of all rules of magick and how we protect ourselves,” Cassandra snapped out, angry that the boy did not see what he had foolishly done.

 

 

“Look, maybe you and Deaton didn’t have people you could trust with your magick,” Lydia said sharply, “but we _know_ we can trust the members of the Pack. We _know_ we can trust our _family_.  Stiles, Zale, Danny, and I have done nothing wrong, and nothing that will cost us in the long run.  I’m sorry that you don’t have that, and we are thankful that you are willing to teach us to control and use our gifts, but we aren’t going to make us feel bad for bonding with our Pack.”  She was getting as irritated as Stiles about Cassandra’s disbelief and anger about their bonding themselves and their magick to the Pack.

 

 

“You are also wrong about my bonding the Hales. I had already begun to tie myself to them magickally when they died,” Alan said, looking at the White Witch with cold regard.  “Our magick is different than yours, Cassandra, and so are our situations.  I understand that you are merely trying to protect them, but no one in this Pack will ever use our gifts to cage us or hurt us the way that you were by your children,” Alan said gently, causing Cassandra to stare at him in shock and horror.

 

 

“Alan... how did you survive?” Cassandra asked in horror, unable to fathom the pain that the Druid would have lived through at the loss of not only his mate, but an entire Pack.

 

 

“I don’t know.  I... I think a part of me died that day.  I know I feel myself again.  I have become someone that Derek and the Pack do not trust.  I have not lived up to my role as Emissary.  I have had visions, but instead of being honest about them, I have foolishly let the Pack stumble along without my guidance.

 

 

“Yesterday when I felt Rena’s return, when I felt all of you return, I was heading to the house to kill the person who was trying to manipulate me.  Thankfully I was wrong and you were all returned,” Alan admitted, his eyes going to Rena, hoping she would understand how their loss broke him.  When she smiled at him with gentleness and love, he relaxed in the knowledge that she would remain with him.

 

 

“If I had known you had lost your mate to the fire I probably wouldn’t have punched you in the face. Maybe,” Stiles said quietly, his eyes dark with sympathy.

 

 

Alan smiled at him in response. “I’m pretty sure I deserved the first punch at least,” He admitted, making Erica and Lydia agree with him.

 

 

“What are we going to do about Rafe McCall? He knows our secrets, and I wouldn’t put it past him to tell everyone.  Then there is also the fact that Scott wolfed out fully in front of the deputies,” Derek asked quietly, he was holding tightly to Stiles, his fear still alive and burning.  He didn’t know what he would do if he lost Stiles, though he had a feeling it would be worse than when he lost his family.

 

 

Stiles turned to look at Derek and smiled gently.  “Don’t worry, Sourwolf, I’m not going anywhere.  You saved me, you saved all of us by bringing us together.  The bond starts with you, it’s how we were able to bond to the full Pack, including the Returned.  You aren’t getting rid of me.”

 

 

Derek let out a shaky breath and leaned forward pressing his face into Stiles’ throat.  The younger man tipped his head, giving Derek full access.

 

 

Peter and the others gently gathered the children and the rest of the Pack, and quietly left Stiles and Derek alone.  Cassandra sighed softly, her initial shock and horror giving way to understanding.  Her relationship with her beloved husband had been the same, she had bound herself to him as tightly as she could.  She had also bound herself to her children.  The problem was that her children were greedy, and when her beloved husband had died, they had used her bond with them to cage her, hoping to take more than their share of the inheritance her husband had left.

 

 

It was that betrayal that had actually kept Cassandra from following Johan into death.  Had her children listened to the lessons she tried to pass on about their craft, they would have known this, but their greed was greater than their goodness.  Cassandra had finally been able to break the bond with her children with the help of the Matriarch of the Stilinski family.

 

 

Stiles’ grandmother had saved Cassandra, and that gave Cassandra a life debt to the line.  The elder witch would do whatever it took to protect Stiles, even playing with the memories and minds of those that were a threat.  People like the Reyes family and Rafe McCall.  As she was leaving the room she threw up a barrier that would give the two young men privacy.

 

 

Once everyone was gone, Stiles rolled to his side and buried his face in Derek’s chest.  Derek just held his mate as Stiles sobbed out living one of his worst fears.  Derek lifted Stiles face up and wiped away his tears.

 

 

“I’m sorry,” Stiles said through his tears.

 

 

“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong,” Derek said gently.  “I would have done the same thing.”

 

 

Stiles shuddered through his tears.  “I couldn’t let him die because of me.  I... I would never leave you, Derek.  I swear I won’t, but my Dad.”

 

 

“I know and I feel the same way.  I. Would. Have. Done. The. Same. Thing,” Derek emphasized.  “Nothing that happened with Rafe McCall was your fault.  The man is a bastard and crazy.  He’s to blame for what happened with your Dad, for being the one to want to hurt you.  He’s to blame for abandoning Scott and Melissa and for being a drunk.  You didn’t make him be an asshole or shoot Zale.”

 

 

Derek’s words had Stiles relaxing and laying his head back down on Derek’s chest.  “The last two days have been fucked up,” Stiles finally said.

 

 

“They really have,” Derek agreed with a brittle laugh.

 

 

“How are you doing?” Stiles asked, thinking of what it would be like for him if his Mom was suddenly standing in front of him alive and whole.

 

 

“I... I don’t know.  I feel free of blame for the first time since I watched the house burn.  I’m glad they are all back, but... I’m afraid that they will be disappointed in me.  I was never supposed to be the Alpha.  Dominic was supposed to inherit the powers and Laura was supposed to be his second.  I was supposed to help Laura and be a voice among the Pack.  Carol and the others were supposed to be his Council.  I already have a Council in you, Scott, and Lydia.  What if they can’t accept it?” Derek said quietly, the unasked question was: _What do I do if they reject me?_

 

 

 

“They will accept it, and I think your family will be not only supportive, but help us with the information we don’t have and with the rituals of your Pack.  Ennis and the Twins have been great in helping us, but there are things about the Hale lands that only your family knows.  I wouldn’t worry, Derek, I think it will work out.

 

 

“I’m not saying it will be comics and curly fries, but I think things will work out.  We just have to have faith in each other and the Pack you created to stand with us when shit hits the fan, and in your family to help fight the ones who cause it and help us clean up the mess it leaves,” Stiles said softly, back in control of himself and the fear that had struck him when he had felt the pain and death that had hit his dad.

 

 

“You’re right,” Derek said, knowing he would have to trust in his family, especially in Dominic and Laura.  Next to his parents and Peter, his older brother and his older sister had been the ones he had gone to for advice and to help through his worst moments.  Derek had forgotten that in the aftermath of Paige, and had let himself get caught up in the sweet lies that Kate had weaved around him.  “We can’t stay here any longer.  As much as I want to, we have to go decide what to do about McCall and find out how your Dad’s deputies knew about us.”

 

 

Stiles let out a fond laugh. “You really don’t remember anything from the last time the Necromancers came to town.  I thought it was just another time of you not wanting to talk about the shit that rains down on us periodically.”

 

 

Derek snorted at Stiles’ eloquent description for the crazy that was their life, but agreed with his mate.  “No, I really don’t remember anything.”

 

 

“Right... well you decided that Dad had to tell everyone on the force so that they would be safe from the and I quote ‘Crazy fuckers who thought coming to cause trouble and bloodshed in Beacon Hills was like visiting Disney’.  Dad and I tried to argue with you, mostly because we were sure something was wrong with you, no matter what Deaton said, but you wolfed out in the middle of the station.

 

“Thankfully it turned out that most of the force knows what the hell is going on around town, and the other half were easy to convince about all of the badness.  Two days later we killed the Necromancers and you were so pissy any time anyone mentioned that you and Scott were trapped by their spell that I just assumed you remembered and were pissed at yourself for it,”  Stiles said fondly beginning to bounce back from his upset.

 

 

“Oh hell.”  Derek groaned.  “Well at least we’ll have people to help us keep things under wraps and to give your Dad and Micah backup.”

 

 

“That was my thought too,” Stiles agreed, he then sighed.  “Let’s go see what we can do about Rafe McCall and about the guilt that Scott’s practically wallowing in at the moment.”

 

 

Derek nodded and pulled Stiles into one last kiss before the two of them stood and made their way out of the room and into the living room where the rest of the Pack was gathered.

 

 

When they got into the living room, Derek could see that Stiles was right about Scott, and that Zale had the younger man in good hands.  He was already beginning to work though Scott’s guilt, though it ramped back up when he saw Stiles.

 

 

“Don’t even, Scotty.  You are not to blame for that asshole shooting Dad.  Derek was right when he told me that no one made him be an asshole or shoot Dad,” Stiles said as he went over and hugged Scott tightly.

 

 

“You were barely ten when he took off, kid.  There is nothing anyone could say that could put his rampant assholery on you or your Mom,” Zale said with the two pulled apart and he got his own hug from Stiles.

 

 

Erica let out a snort of humor.  “There is no denying you two are related.”  Her words had everyone laughing and relaxing, relieved that things were going to be okay.

 

 

“Speaking of assholery, what are we going to do about him knowing the Pack’s secrets?” Stiles asked as he sat down on the floor in front of his Dad with Scott and Derek on either side of him.  Melissa reached down from her place at Zale’s side to squeeze his shoulder.  He grinned up at his Mom and took her hand in his, going to his knees long enough to give her a hug, before turning around and settling back down at Derek and Scott.

 

 

“I have already taken care of that,”  Cassandra said quietly. Like Stiles she was calming down from her upset.  Stiles and the others looked at her in question.  She sighed and grimaced.  “When it became obvious that you boys didn’t trust him I cast a geas on him.  He cannot speak to the anyone not in the Pack about the Pack or anyone we know, either as a ally, a protected person, or an enemy.”

 

 

They gaped at her in surprise, before Stiles grinned.  “You’re devious and sneaky.  I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

 

 

Cassandra laughed.  “Your grandmother said nearly the same words to me many years ago during the Great War.”  Despite the life debt, Agnieska had been one of Cassandra’s closest friends for many years.  The two women had survived the ghettos of Warsaw and the move the States after the war was over while so many were dying from famine and disease.  Agnieska had already been married at the time, though her husband had tried to fight the Nazis.  The three had come to the United States and then to California when they realized that they wanted something different from the big city and small apartments they would find in New York.

 

 

Years later, both Agnieska and her Johan would be dead along with Cassandra’s beloved Avraam, who had introduced himself to Cassandra in New York and followed her to California where he talked her into starting a life with him.  Cassandra still ached for the loss of the people who made his life so bearable in those first years following the war and the loss of everything she knew.

 

 

Stiles was just like his father and his grandfather, full of life and kindness and a willingness to give whatever it took to defend and protect those they cared for and claimed as their own.  It was a habit she feared would one day cost them both their lives, but she also knew that it was a habit she would not be able to curb.  Once a Stilinski male claimed you, you never shook them loose.

 

 

Looking around at the people that the two men had claimed, she thought it was also a habit of a Stilinski to claim those that deserved that love and loyalty.  Cassandra looked forward to protecting and honoring the belief and love that her best friend’s child and grandchild held for the people in the room.

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
